Culture in the American Colonies

The eighteenth century was a pivotal period in the continuing struggle between the secular and the spiritual. The Protestant Reformation had lost its fury. Thanks in part to the riches of the New World, people on both sides of the Atlantic were experiencing a commercial bonanza that was bringing to many persons a standard of living heretofore reserved only for kings and the nobility. The "new science" was making itself felt. Many hoped to unlock …

…and declining opportunity in some areas, and the ever-present fear of deprivation from Indians and French along the frontier. The effects of the Great Awakening was that it created a multitude of true believers and a plethora of new sects. It wrought havoc on the institutional structure of the colonies, lessened respect for authority, and, some have agreed, created fertile soil for the seeds of revolution. It also stimulated the founding of several colonial colleges.