Religion
Religion was an important part of colonial life. Most colonists tried to lead virtuous lives based on their faith, and children were brought up reading the Bible from cover to cover several times over.
Puritan Church Services In New England, the sound of a drum or horn called Puritans to worship on Sunday morning. “Captains of the watch” made sure everyone was a “Sabbath-keeper.” Sometimes houses were searched to ensure that everyone was at the church service. Church services were held in the town meetinghouse, the most important building in the community that was used for all public gatherings. Inside were rows of wooden benches, called pews, and a pulpit (a platform where the preacher stood). A “seating committee” carefully assigned seats, with the best ones going to older, wealthy people, while colonists with less influence sat farther away. Services could last as long as five hours. At midday, villagers would go to “noon-houses” near the church to warm themselves by a fire, eat, and socialize before returning to church for the long afternoon sermon. The Great Awakening Beginning in the 1730s, a religious movement known as the Great Awakening swept through the colonies. This movement was spurred by a feeling that people had lost their religious faith. “The forms of religion were kept up,” a Puritan observed, but there was “little of the power” of God in it. To revive people's religious spirit, preachers traveled from town to town holding outdoor “revival” meetings where they would deliver fiery sermons to huge crowds. Their words touched the hearts and souls of many colonists. Benjamin Franklin wrote about the change he observed in Philadelphia: “It seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms [Bible songs] sung in different families of every street.” The Great Awakening had a powerful effect on the colonies because it helped spread the idea that all people are equal in the eyes of God. Ordinary people could understand God's will if they had an open heart and a desire to know God's truth. By encouraging ideas of liberty, equality, and self-reliance, the Great Awakening helped pave the way for the American Revolution. |