What impact did the Great Awakening have on the character of politics and government in the British North American colonies? Use the political conflict between Old Lights and New Lights in mid-eighteenth-century Connecticut to support your response.
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
- Religious revival: New Lights rallied against liberal theology and called for revival of Calvinism; Old Lights opposed emotional enthusiasm as a "lawless heresy"; revivalism appealed most to those who felt bypassed by the economic and cultural development of the British colonies; small farmers and less prosperous craftsmen tended to be New Lights, while the upper and middle classes viewed these beliefs as anarchy, and they committed themselves to rational religion
- Connecticut case study: Old Lights passed a series of laws in the General Assembly to suppress revivalism; revivalists refused to pay taxes to the established church and were jailed; judges supporting New Light views were removed or denied their elected seats in the assembly; public responded with outrage; New Lights organized politically and turned the Old Lights out of office in the 1760s; New Lights served as political leaders for the colony during the American Revolution
- Revival and political activism: first opportunity for many to participate actively in public debate and public action; public made choices on religious styles, ministers, and doctrine; ordinary people began to believe their opinions mattered and began to question their leaders
You might also like to view...
Why did separate black church congregations receive criticism within the black community?
A) Some African Americans, including Frederick Douglass, thought separate black church congregations were just another example of segregation in American society. B) Some African Americans thought that black ministers were far too intellectual and did not speaking to the common black church member. C) Some thought that the black churches should be more involved with the community, rather than simply holding worship services. D) Some criticized the churches for not organizing mass marches and protests against segregation.
East Germany's troubled postwar economic situation was exacerbated by
What will be an ideal response?
President Washington responded to the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania by
a. calling up thirteen thousand militiamen and marching them into battle against the angry mob. b. banning the sale of liquor in that part of the state. c. trying to calm down the rioters with diplomacy. d. deporting the leaders of the rebellion to the Caribbean.
The first Constitution in the U.S. was the _________.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).