The Great Awakening Movement - Essay Example

History Quiz #2 Common Sense In January 1776, with the move towards independence gaining momentum, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled Common Sense. The pamphlet was a harsh call for independence and a denouncement of the monarchy. The pamphlet spoke of the natural right of the common man and stated that "... a government of our own is our natural right" (qtd. in Henretta, Brody, and Demenil, 171). The pamphlet was denounced by Whigs and Loyalists who thought the move away from hereditary privilege was too harsh and radical (Nash et al., 195). The title, Common Sense, reflected the notion that independence was the only sensible option and also indicated the writing style which appealed to the common man. Its vitriolic language and common approach differed from the existing political writings, which were often considered elitist, and gave Common Sense a wider mass appeal. After 25 editions, it sold thousands of copies and is credited for tipping the scale in the move towards independence (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 181) Richard H. Lee Richard H. Lee, American patriot, had been a delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress in September 1774. At this time he and Patrick Henry were joined by others to argue against the Coercive Acts, which had severely limited shipping in Boston in a response to the Boston Tea Party. In June 1776, with the pamphlet Common Sense reaching mass popularity, Richard Henry Lee introduced a congressional resolution calling for independence from England. Sensing impending defeat Loyalists and many moderates withdrew from the Congress. This was the beginning of the Patriots' formal declaration for independence and the move towards the war. Samuel Adams Samuel Adams was a staunch Patriot who had gained the notoriety and experience during the Seven Years War that would later place him in a place of prominence. He led a revolt against the Townsend Acts in 1765, which taxed tea, paper, and other miscellaneous items. He was instrumental in establishing the Committee of Correspondence in Boston in 1772 (Henretta, Brody, and Demenil, 151). He became the leader of the radicals in Boston while organizing action against the monarchy (Nash et al., 179). In 1774, as a delegate from Massachusetts, he joined Richard Lee and Patrick Henry in their fight against the Coercive Acts in the Continental Congress. After the Revolutionary War, Adams helped draft the Massachusetts Constitution and the Articles of Confederation. He would later become the acting Governor of Massachusetts. John Peter Zenger John Peter Zenger was a printer and journalist that advocated and promoted the freedom of the press. Faced with corruption and tyranny in the colonies, a newspaper, the New-York Weekly Journal, was published by Zenger to expose the actions of Governor William Cosby of New York. Zenger was arrested for seditious libel and defended by a Philadelphia Lawyer hired by Zenger's supporters. Zenger claimed he was merely printing the facts and informing the public. Zenger was acquitted and the idea of the free press began to gain more popularity and would eventually rise to a significant part of American democracy. Bacon's Rebellion By 1675, the Chesapeake colonies were facing limited land and resources due to agreements with the Indian tribes. There was a need for more land as more settlers arrived in the New World. Nathaniel Bacon, joined by slaves and ex-slaves, brutally waged war against the native populations. Governor Berkeley who called for the arrest of Bacon denounced these attacks. This began a series of skirmishes and battles between Bacon's men and Berkeley's troops known as Bacon's Rebellion. It continued through 1677 involving 1000 British troops and resulted in the destruction of Jamestown (Nash et al., 84,86). Bacon's Rebellion was a sign of events to come as it pointed out the necessity of acquiring Indian land with the arrival of the new immigrants. The Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a religious movement that took place between 1720 and 1760 that revived interest in the church amidst the growing apathy of the time. Churches had seen declining membership and many settlers in the rural backcountry had no access to religion. The Great Awakening inspired people in a move towards religion without necessitating their membership in an organized church. In this regard, the Awakening was as much a revolt against the dominant Presbyterian Church as it was forming any true religion. The Awakening preached that the only key to heaven was salvation and being saved. This requisite allowed anyone to become a preacher and disrupted the controlling church's hierarchy. This effect would overlap into politics in different ways in the mercantile north and the agrarian south. At the height of the movement in 1739, George Whitfield came from England and began preaching on the East Coast. Whitfield appealed to the common man by asserting that anyone could speak "the Lords truth" (Nash et al., 150). The commoners were often rural, farmers, female, or slaves that had been disenchanted by traditional religion. In the North, the Awakening message was often connected with political issues that separated the common man from the elite. In the North, the Awakening spoke for the laboring poor and against the established merchants such as the division over backing paper money in Boston in 1741 (Nash et al., 151). In the South, notably Virginia, Samuel Morris led a movement in 1743 inspired by George Whitfield (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 117). The movement was composed of Anglicans that had left the church. This was a revolt against the gentry style of social order in the South (Nash et al., 151). The newly created Baptist churches welcomed anyone including slaves, but the ruling planters viewed them as a threat to their orderly way of life. Some Baptist leaders such as John Waller were attacked in outbreaks of violence. Yet, by 1755 20% of the whites and blacks belonged to the Baptist churches (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 118). Though the movement agitated the political and social order during its existence, it had little lasting effect on the hierarchy and the ruling class. However, it left the legacy that all churches were of equal status. This was the basis for the constitutional concept of separation of church and state and America's belief in freedom of religion. Parliamentary Legislation 1763-1776 A series of Parliamentary Acts were initiated beginning in 1763 under British Prime Minister George Greenville. The colonists generally perceived them as unfair and punitive and often took action to rebel against them. The series of Acts were often enacted to preserve trade and generate revenue, though the colonist perception of immorality and unfairness would eventually contribute to the rising popularity of independence. The Acts would highlight the issue of the failure of virtual representation and lead America through a period of struggle for independence. One of the first of these Acts was the Currency Act of 1764, which was an expansion of the Currency Act of 1751. It was passed by parliament in an effort to protect British merchants from accepting worthless paper money in the colonies. It banned the use of paper money in all the colonies. It required that all British imports to America be paid with either silver or gold. These metals were in short supply and severely limited the ability of the colonists to trade with Britain. This Act reinforced the notion that the monarchy was acting as a tyrant against an oppressed America. The Stamp Act of 1765 required a tax stamp on written documents, college diplomas, and playing cards (Nash et al., 173). The Stamp Act was viewed as an assault on men's property and therefore their liberty. The Act was met with riots and protests throughout the colonies. The protests were led by the Sons of Liberty that were often headed by minor merchants and artisans, though they were supported by John Hancock, Patrick Henry, and John Adams (Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil, 138). Though the parliament had instituted the Stamp Act to raise revenue, its lasting effect was to form organized bands of rebels that would later form the core of the American militia against Britain in the War for Independence. As the colonists began to view the series of Acts through the period of 1763-1776 as an issue of liberty and not revenue, Parliament attempted to enact the Coercive Acts. Known as the Intolerable Acts, it was a punitive measure against the colonists and specifically the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 closed the Port of Boston and severely limited the ability of local governments to operate without the appointed Governor's cooperation (Nash et al., 181). The Intolerables were the final step toward independence from England. The people had felt that they were under a dictatorial rule and their liberty had been suppressed. This act would inspire Patrick Henry, Samuel and John Adams, and Richard H. Lee to call for mass resistance to the Parliament and the monarchy in the Continental Congress of 1774 (Nash et al., 179). This would also reinforce the notion that virtual representation in Parliament did not in fact exist and the colonist's interests were not represented in government. Works Cited Henretta, James A., David Brody, and Lynn Dumenil. America: A Concise History. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2006. Nash, Gary B. et al. The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society. 6th ed. New York: Pearson Education, 2004. Read More