Into the Enlightenment

1
Into the Enlightenment

• English 441
• Dr. Roggenkamp

2
17th Century Massachusetts

• Relatively complete Puritan hegemony in Mass Bay
  area and large portions of colonial frontier
  (hegemonypredominance of one class or political
  system over all others)
• Theocracyquash most political and social dissent
• Much greater religious and political diversity
  elsewhere in colonies
• What sticks from Puritanscultural influence,
  rhetorical tools, literary genres
• Exceptionalism, idea of chosen ones,
  paradoxical relationship of individual and
  community

3
End of 17th Century into 18th Century

• More widespread breaking away from strict
  doctrines of Calvinism, even in Boston
• Strengthening of other cultural, political,
  religious voicespartly because British crown
  takes over colonial charters post Salem
• Unitarianism and Deism Denominations rejecting
  doctrine of the trinity, stressing benevolent
  more detatched God, individual freedom of belief,
  free use of reason in religion, liberal social
  action, faith in science over mystical spiritual
  expression
• Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
  George Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson, etc. etc.

4
Ethos of EnlightenmentThe Age of Reason

• Intellectual movement/empirical philosophy of
  late 17th, 18th centuries
• Advances in science, technology, politics
• Emphasize reason empirical evidence
  overdemystify lifethe SENSES
• Natural goodness of humanity
• Perfectibility of human race
• Right to individual liberty
• Build a better world through reason, brotherhood,
  new governments (not theocracies)

5
Quakerism (Religious Society of Friends)

• Not as mainstream, but extremely impt. in
  Americas social development/conscience
• Every persons capacity to comprehend God on own
  termsfollow inner light
• Direct access to Godno ministers, dogma, creed,
  ritualssilent worship
• God as benevolent, loving, compassionatenot
  angry and judgmental
• SOCIAL doctrinesreject racism, chauvinism,
  warfarefriendly persuasion
• Lives of simplicity, peace, social justice

6
Quaker John Woolman

• I was early convinced in my mind that true
  religion consisted in an inward life, wherein the
  heart doth love reverence God . . . learn to
  exercise true justice goodness, not only toward
  all men but also toward the brute creatures
  (670).
• I found no narrowness respecting sects
  opinions, but believed that sincere,
  upright-hearted people in every Society who truly
  loved God were accepted of Him (670).
• To consider mankind otherwise than brethren, to
  think favours are peculiar to one nation
  exclude others, plainly supposes a darkness in .
  . . Understanding (681).

7
The Great Awakening

• Period of intense revivalism evangelism, 1730s
  and 1740s
• Backlash against increasingly liberal
  cosmopolitan society
• Jeremiadscall to return to good old days of
  strict CalvinismPurify Congregational church in
  America this time
• Reinforce idea of depravity as basic human
  conditionvengeful God
• Image George Whitfield

8
Jonathan Edwards

• The last Puritan
• Re-inscribe strict Calvinism into American
  experience
• Emphasis on true religious conversion as opposed
  to Enlightenment ideals of leading a good, moral,
  civic life
• Conversion narrativewithin genre of personal
  narrative
• Idea of journey, development