Growth and Enlightenment, and Awakenings

Colonial America, 1710-1763

Crisis of 17th Century cont.

• Dominion of New England

– King James II wanted to consolidate and create powerful governors like Spain

• NY, NJ, and New England

• Governor & Council appointed by King

• Representative councils dissolved

• Legal system

• Raised Taxes/revoked land grants

– Glorious Revolution-1688

• King James II dissolved Parliament

• William & Mary of Orange ascend to throne

– English Bill of Rights-1689

» Right to Tax/Parliament

» No standing army w/o consent

» Right to petition

» Trial by jury, bail, and no cruel and unusual punishments

• New Rights will empower for Revolution!!!!!!

– Colonies restored their old colonial charter after news of G.R.

I am Catholic and I want my colonies to

look more Spanish!!!!

I don’t like parliament

and I want to rule like a

King!

Growth • Mercantilism-theory that the wealth

of “mother” country would be increased by heavy governmental regulation of imports and exports to colonies. Colonies exist to make wealth for mother: raw materials and purchase – Goals

• Eliminate dependence on foreign suppliers (decrease imports)

• Damaging competitors’ commercial interests

• Increase net stock of gold/silver (sell more than buy)

• Utilize colonies to enrich national treasury

– Navigation Acts 1651-1696 • Required that all goods be

transported on American or English carriers, which meant goods from other countries had to transit through English ports before arriving in the colonies.

DUTCH IMPORTS

French IMPORTS

Colonies, show me the

money!!!!

$$$ $$$ $$$

Growth • 4 Major Effects of Mercantilism – 1. They limited trade to English

ships so colonist built a large, merchant marine that required ports, docks, repairs, contributing to an early diversified and self-sufficient economy

– 2. Tobacco, rice, furs, indigo, & naval stores had to pass first through English ports

– 3. Encouraged economic diversification…Crown encouraged colonist to produce certain crops by offering cash incentives

– 4. Colonies became a protected market for low priced consumer goods and colonial profits allowed them to adapt English middle-class lifestyles

ENGLISH BETTER UTILIZED THEIR NEW WORLD PROFITS BY ENCOURAGING MORE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY WHILE SPANISH/FRENCH FUNNELLED THEIR WEALTH BACK

INTO THE HANDS OF THE ELITE IN SOCIETY

Enlightenment and Awakenings

• Enlightenment – An international philosophical

movement that extolled the virtues of reason and science and applied these new insights to politics and social reform

– John Locke-Founding Fathers • “Natural Rights” • “Social Contract” • “Right to Revolution”

– American Champions of the Enlightenment • Rationalism: use reason and

science to measure/master the elements

• Deism: a ‘clockmaker’ God • Humanism: the perfectibility of

man/tabula rosa – Benjamin Franklin

• Printer- 1732: Publishes Poor Richard’s Almanac and makes enough money eventually to retire comfortably @ 42 years of age

• Scientist- experiments with lightning & electricity

• Reformer- Fire Company, 1st Public Hospital, College of Philadelphia, and American Philosophical Society- a learned society committed to the advancement of knowledge

Enlightenment and Awakenings

• Great Awakening 1730-1770 – Changed Society

• Challenged assumptions of gender, race, and social status

• Offered different choices of congregations

• Ordinary people were given a public voice

– 1. Influence of Old Lights (Quaker, Anglican, Congregationalists) begin to decline as new groups (Baptist, Presbyterians, and Methodists) grow.

– 2. Many new colleges were founded: Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers and Dartmouth

– 3. Revivalists (New Lights) appealed to African slaves for the first time marking the beginnings of African-American Protestantism

– 4. New Lights gave women higher prominence within the church

– 5. This great debate actually fostered religious toleration by blurring theological differences and creating more denominations (Religious pluralism)

– 6. By encouraging and empowering ordinary people to criticize those in authority, the Great Awakening laid groundwork for political revolution a generation later

Jonathan Edwards

Long term effects of The Enlightenment and Great Awakening

TWO MAJOR MOVEMENTS OF THE 18TH CENTURY (ONE RELIGIOUS/ONE INTELLECTUAL) THAT HELPED CONSTRUCT AN AMERICAN IDENTITY DISTINCT FROM

BRITAIN AND PREPARED AMERICANS FOR POSSIBLE REVOLUTION…..

In general a decline of hierarchy and acceptance of diversity:

1. New Lights questioned Old Lights: “City on a Hill”

orthodoxy declines as new denominations are created (Religious Pluralism) 2. Liberty questions tyranny: *nobility of the common/poor man *faith in ‘higher laws’ like Universal natural rights