The Great Awakening in the Colonies

Notable Differences in the Colonies

There are notable differences that have been established in the later colonies of NJ, PA, NY, and Carolinas as opposed to the earlier colonies in MA and VA. VA noted to be established as a result of massacre, failures, and stupidity of the locals. While establishing the later colonies they came to settle down and there was more power that was established by the church and the clergy (McCusker and Russell 1608). At the time, the church had a significant influence on the people which noted to ensure they made their rules based on the instructions that were given by the clergy. The Virginia and Carolinas were noted to be dominantly catholic and this resulted in many shrines being developed in the area and this made it difficult for other religions to develop in the colonies. Historians explain given the heavy influence on the church theologies at the colonies, there were few incidences that were reported of misconduct as people were focused on being free from sins to ensure they had a successful lifestyle with ease (McCusker and Russell 1608).

Opportunity for African Slaves and Europeans

In the 1620s both the African slaves and the Europeans were given an opportunity to work for a planter for a given period of time and they were exchanged for their passage into the New World (Yount, 345). Therefore, based on the number of years the individuals labored they were allowed to be free, the blacks noted to be worst affected with the treatment as they took a longer time to be free simply because of the color of their skin. Anthony Johnson noted to be a very successful African American landowner and a slave owner in the 1650s-60, he lived a lifestyle which he explicitly said he could till his land when he wanted and decide to sell the land when he desired and this noted to be important. In his farm, he ensured the slaves would maximally work and this resulted to him gaining so much wealth with ease, given the slaves were working for a black man they were noted to work with confidence as they did not feel subjected to the rules of the white man. He was commonly referred to as a Negro and this made him appear as a slave due to his originality. VA was noted to be one of the harshest places for the slaves or servants to dwell in and often many those who worked in this plantation had a lot of work to do to ensure they got the same pay they were entitled. Later his plantation was set on fire and this noted that his business came to a standstill, and later that year in August an all-White jury decided that his land needed to be seized from his family and given to a white man and the slaves were subjected to the white man. The notion of changing the ownership of the land from a Negro to a white man based on the color of their skin identified to be a perfect illustration of racism as Richard son of Anthony had lived on the farm with his wife for five years. Therefore, the Virginians did not have to lure the workers to work in the plantations and instead could buy them and ensure they chain them for years and there was no possibility of ever allowing them to be free men because of the color of their skin.

British Colonies and the Great Awakening

The colonies that are described in 1750 are noted to be British colonies VA was found in 1607 and GA found in 1732 (Yeager 1750). British colonies described being a worldwide system of dependencies that were noted to be self-governing that continually acknowledged the increasing British sovereignty. Britain made its first move overseas in the 16th-century maritime expansion that was driven by the commercial ambitions by France propagated British colonies to be established in North America and the West Indies. The Great Awakening is described by many historians to be a precursor of the great American Revolution noted to last many years. In 1750 there were many colonies that were established as a result of religious reasons. Given great awakening was noted to be a religious revival that noted to impact the English colonies that predominated in America in the 1730s and 1740s (Yeager 1753). The great awakening noted to be rampant in a period when the idea of secular rationalism was emphasized with ease and the passion of people to ensure they are religious had grown stale. At the time, people in both British and American colonies were questioning on the role of the individuals in religion and society this translated to the individual growing the need to ensure they rely on their personal salvation as opposed to the church doctrine. There was a movement of preachers from town to town preaching on the need for an individual to stop sinning and ensure they get back to salvation and this promoted vigor for Christianity. Therefore, historians believe that the Great Awakening has a lasting impact on the various Christians denominations and the American culture.

Works Cited

McCusker, John J., and Russell R. Menard. The Economy of British America, UNC Press Books, 2014. 1607-1789

Yeager, Jonathan M. “The First Great Awakening: Redefining Religion in British America, 1725–1775. By John Howard Smith. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2015. 356 pp. $90 cloth.”Church History 85.2 (2016): 389-391.

Yount, Michael G. AB Simpson: His Message and Impact on the Third Great Awakening. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2016.