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University of Chamberlain

HIST405N: United States History

Week 1: 

Toward an American Republic: The Colonial Period
Welcome to Week 1! By the end of this week, you will be able to identify and explain the events that led to the American Revolution. It is particularly important to understand the importance of interpretation in analyzing these events. For example, early historians argued that the American Revolution was a purely political revolution, a revolt against British oppression. This view laid the greatest emphasis on constitutional ideas, but others added a new dimension, the economic motive. These historians – known loosely as Progressive historians – argued that the American Revolution was also a struggle of American economic interests against British restrictions and tax levies. As you study American history, remember that events may have several historical interpretations.

The Colonial Period was often either ignored or given little emphasis in American history classes. High school textbooks from the forties and fifties usually began with the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 and then quickly moved to the revolutionary period with a rather glorified view of our founding fathers; however, today’s history texts more properly begin at the beginning, with Europeans’ first meeting with the New Land. “At first, the results of contact were generally bad: the tale is mostly one of hunger, disease, and death” (Schultz, 2009, p. 21). This week we will trace the history of Europe’s first contact with North America.

Here are some basic questions to think about this week:

  • What were the reasons for Europeans exploring lands outside Europe and England’s founding of colonies in New England?
  • How did English colonists relate to Native American tribes and African slaves up to 1775?
  • What was the impact of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening on colonial society in America?
  • What were the causes that led to the American Revolution?

Research Reminder
As noted in the Course Introduction, it is proper for you to use primary and secondary sources that are dated older than 5 years for the purpose of researching historical events in this course.

Reference

Schultz, K. M. (2009). HIST: Volume 1: U.S. History through 1877. Wadsworth Publishing.

Week 1 Lesson: Toward an American Republic: The Colonial Period

Introduction

The history of the Colonial Period is generally told from the point of view of the politicians and generals who fought for liberty against British tyranny, but there was another revolution besides the political one, and that occurred in the way people regarded church and state. This “evolution” in thinking was a result of the Enlightenment’s new view of reason. A third dimension to colonial history was the influence of religion among the colonists. Puritanism was dominant in New England, while Quakerism and Anglicanism were a norm in the Middle and Southern Colonies. The dynamics of Enlightenment ideas, Puritanism, Quakerism and Anglicanism would have a powerful impact on American history.

The American Enlightenment

The American Enlightenment had its roots in the European Enlightenment. Click on the following links to learn about three important Enlightenment figures that influenced American ideas.

John Locke (1632-1704), an English philosopher, argued that all people have natural rights that come from God and not monarchs. Locke’s essay, the Second Treatise of Government (1689), is considered the most important single document in the literature of constitutional democracy. Locke is often called the “father of the U.S. Constitution.”

 

By the mid-1700s, Britain was a formidable global power. Key reasons for this included its location, support of commerce, and huge gains in territory around the world. The thirteen prosperous colonies in North America were part of this empire. The colonists shared many of the same values as their English counterparts but began to see their destiny separate from Britain. In some cases, Britain neglected to enforce laws dealing with colonial trade and manufacturing. Tension grew when the new king, George III, began to assert his royal power and Parliament passed laws to increase colonial taxes.

The colonists began to protest what they saw as taxation without representation. A series of violent clashes with British soldiers intensified the colonists’ anger. Finally, representatives from each colony, including George Washington of Virginia, met in the Continental Congress to decide what to do. In April 1775, colonists fought British soldiers at Lexington and Concord, and the American Revolution began.

Puritanism and the American Experience

The Puritans who arrived at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in 1620 were convinced that America was a “new” England. These pilgrims believed that the local church (or congregation) had sole authority over the local parish community and saw the Church of England as idolatrous. William Bradford led these independent-minded Englishmen from Holland to Plymouth and wanted to establish a haven for his Puritan followers free from persecution with an opportunity to worship according to Puritan convictions. John Winthrop later reminded his congregation that they were to be a role model for others to follow and demonstrate to the world what would happen when people were brought into a covenant with God. The Puritans were convinced that this was God’s “new Israel.” This sense of expectancy and a belief in the divine mission of America would persist throughout American history by many religious groups.

The Great Awakening of the eighteenth century profoundly changed the landscape of American religion. The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals and conversions that spread rapidly from New England to the Carolinas during the 1730s. Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan, was the great theologian of the awakening, and it was Edwards who mapped out his vision of God working in America, but others went out and invented new techniques of conversion. George Whitefield was one of the most famous. Barred from the Puritan Church of New England due to his new method of preaching, keeping the audience captivated for hours, Whitefield crossed the colonies from north to south, holding dramatic revivals which brought in hundreds of conversions. What was new was the technique – melodramatic, terrifying, and wonderful all at the same time. Contemporaries have suggested that Whitefield could make an audience weep simply by saying the word “Mesopotamia.” The Great Awakening made American religion a matter of choice. Religion had become a free choice in America. It also set the stage for the denominational concept of religion in America. Creeds were not as important as deeds.

The Puritan commonwealth in New England could not sustain itself as new generations adapted to the American frontier. The Puritans became weaker because they did not convert everyone to their beliefs. They did not succeed in setting up a new Christian commonwealth where only the elect would hold public office, but Puritanism “won” in the sense that it introduced to America an active form of Protestantism, a sense that one should work hard to build up the local community. It also bred into Americans a deep sense of the importance of what they were doing in this life. Additionally, it led to a tradition of learning and education that has persisted throughout American history. The Puritans established Harvard as the first institution of higher learning in the United States in 1636. All of these factors contributed to America’s sense of mission in this world.

One of the most diverse regions in British North America was the Middle Colonies. Open to all walks of life, the Middle Colonies encouraged wide scale immigration. Consequently, religious pluralism would be apparent. The following is an excellent video that informs about the diffusion of religious practices in the Middle Colonies over time:

Diversifying British America: Part 4 (4:41)

Colonial Timeline

The following timeline traces the gradual settlement of North America from 1492 to the outbreak of revolution in 1775. Please note the significant events that began in 1607, with the first English settlement in America. The events that would follow – and the colonists’ relationship with the English king and Parliament – would ultimately lead to war. While some events, like the Boston Tea Party, are well known, others are less known but significant in that they led to the growing dissatisfaction between the colonists and England. This would lead to the outbreak of war in 1775.

American Experience: The Founding Fathers

If you would like to learn more about the Founding Fathers, visit the following site that contains brief biographies on each of the Founding Fathers:

Reference

Dyer, J. (Director), & Dyer, J. (Producer). (2001). Diversifying British America: Part 4 [Video]. Dallas County Community College District. Academic Video Online.

National Archives. (n.d.). Meet the framers of the Constitution. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/founding-fathers

HIST405: Week 1: Toward an American Republic: The colonial Period

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