The Changing Role of Science and Religion The Enlightenment | The Great Awakening USI History | Ms. Burke

The Enlightenment New scientific ideas are developed in Europe Used reason and the scientific method Investigated how the world worked Example: the Earth revolves around the Sun / mathematical laws and constants Ideas would travel from Europe to the colonies and spread very quickly Literacy was HIGH in New England because of the influence of the Puritans – Why?

Benjamin Franklin Embraced the notion of obtaining truth through experimentation and reasoning Most famous experiment – flying a kite in a thunderstorm to demonstrate that lightning is a form of electrical power

Changing Political Thought The Enlightenment changed political thought in the colonies Thomas Jefferson used reason to conclude that individuals have natural rights Governments must respect those rights! Causes colonists to question the British rule

The Great Awakening By the early 1700s, the Puritan Church has lost it’s control over society Church membership was down New Massachusetts Charter of 1691 forced Puritans to allow freedom of worship AND banned the practice of permitting only Puritan church members to vote Many people seemed to be doing well in life, so they stopped paying attention to the afterlife People started liking material possessions

Jonathan Edwards Northampton, Massachusetts Wanted to revive the intensity and commitment of the original Puritan church You must acknowledge your sinfulness to feel God’s love

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors [hates] you, and is dreadfully provoked: His wrath towards you burns like fire; He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire; …and yet it is nothing but His hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment.”

The Great Awakening Preachers would travel from village to village, stirring people to rededicate themselves to God Sometimes, 1000s of people would go to these meetings Had to meet outdoors Lasted throughout the 1730s and 1740s

The Great Awakening EFFECTS The movement brought many colonists – as well as Native Americans and African Americans – into organized Christian churches for the first time! Challenged the authority of established churches Some colonists abandoned their Anglican / Puritan churches and joined new ones – Baptist or Methodist More interest in higher education (college) Colleges were founded to train ministers!

How are the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening similar? Emphasized the human experience Emotionalism // reason People started questioning traditional authority Stressed the importance of the individual People started questioning British rule over the colony

If you were a colonist and believed in Enlightenment ideas, what would you think of the Salem Witch Trials? What if you were a member of the Great Awakening? What would you think of the Salem Witch Trials? ANSWER THIS QUESTION IN YOUR NOTES FOR DISCUSSION