History 110 – Discussion Questions

How did religion influence the fabric of colonial life ? How did Christianity and Enlightenment /Humanism blend ? How did they differ or clash

There was a tremendous amount of diversity in terms of the religions that existed within the colonies . In addition to the expansiveness of Protestantism and Catholicism , there were also the indigenous religions of the Native Americans present as well as those religions practiced by the slaves who had been brought over to the new world . To a significant degree , religion played a major part of life in the colonies p [banner_entry_middle]

The blend between religion and the theories of the Enlightenment and humanism is a somewhat interesting mix . To a great degree , the ideologies and the concepts of the Enlightenment (and the theories of humanism ) played a great role in shaping the way the great thinkers thought and how they devised a new system of governance . This did not however , lead to a rejection of religion , but rather an embracing of it The people who comprised the leaders of the colonies believed that God was the center of all creation and that God ‘s influence and presence was with them and guiding them . So , in that regard , one could argue that since men were created by God and men created the Enlightenment , then one could draw a conclusion that the Enlightenment was created by God as well

Or course , the theories of the Enlightenment and secular humanism often clash when it comes to a belief in God (Many theorists of the Enlightenment held beliefs that would constitute atheism ) However , there remained a balance between what was extracted and considered valuable from the Enlightenment and humanism , while still maintaining a strong belief in God and making God the centerpiece of American life

2 . Why did the colonists revolt ? What were their tactics and strategies during the American Revolution ? Why did England lose

The bulk of the issues that yielded the American Revolution are summed up in the famous phrase taxation without representation ‘ In summation , this statement refers to the fact that the British government had imposed a series of taxes on the members of the new colonies , but the colonists were not represented in the British parliament . For example , one issue of contention including the issue that many of the ruling class of the colonies held speculative land interests on Native American land that the British government was going to return to the Natives without compensating those who held the speculative deeds (This issue centered on Parliament deciding that the colonies would not be allowed to expand their territory

The primary strategy of the Revolutionaries was that of a guerilla war and the British were not able to deal with what was essentially an inshave a functional and ly military because it did develop one , but the campaign was primarily an inswith

Furthermore , the American Colonies were receiving financial and military support from France . In time , the Americans would also receive valuable support from the Dutch as well as Spain . This made victory for the British impossible as it could not form alliances as powerful as those the United States developed

3 . Do you think an individual (like Sam Adams or George Washington ) can affect the course of historical events ? Or do abstract forces and not individuals determine history

The answer to this question is very succinct : abstractions due not make decisions or compel people to passionately believe in something strong enough to commit themselves to a daunting cause . Abstractions can appeal neither to logic nor emotion . By the very nature of the word abstraction refers to something outside of the natural or reality itself . This will not influence people . Only individuals will appeal to other people provided they have the ability to communicate themselves effectively and have themselves to a cause that is reasonable and sensible and is , ultimately , a worthy cause that coincides with an intelligent course of action that leads to success

This is not to say that abstract events or even chaos theory will not influence people ‘s decisions or emotions . However , the effectiveness of an invisible , intangible abstract entity will never have the ability to stir an entire population into action and it certainly can not magically draft up a constitution or Declaration of Independence

Individuals like George Washington , Sam Adams , Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were brilliant thinkers as well as men of action . They had their finger on the pulse of the nation they represented and were able to set in motion the chain of events that successfully created a colonial independence movement and the establishment of a new nation This was done by way of deliberate , conscious action and not by any mystical abstraction such as a force or nature , luck or pure chance Nothing that is successful is ever the byproduct of chance … [banner_entry_footer]