Notes

Virgnia
The first legislative assembly in the colonies whose representatives were elected by popular vote
Mayflower
The first written example of self-government in U.S. history
Connecticut
The first written constitution in North America

Transcript of video
Religious life was really important in the British colonies. But in the late 1600s and early 1700s, a lot of people felt disconnected from their churches. Many believed that church sermons didn't relate to their lives. By the early 1730s a number of religious leaders in the colonies thought it was time to shake things up. Or you might say wake things up.
The Great Awakening was a movement meant to reignite people's faith, and their belief in God. One of the movement's major leaders was a Massachusetts minister named Jonathan Edwards. Edwards gave passionate sermons that warned people about ignoring God and not taking religion seriously. His words connected with people in his community and inspired them to make religion more important in their lives.
Church leaders in New England and across the other colonies took notice and began preaching similar messages. The Great Awakening swept throughout the colonies, as the crowds that gathered to see Edwards and other ministers grew larger and more enthusiastic.
In 1739, a new star arrived on the scene. A passionate minister and trained actor from England named George Whitefield. Whitefield would spread the Great Awakening even farther. Some people actually consider him the first real American celebrity. He would give sermons to crowds of up to 20,000 people as he traveled through the colonies. The crowds at Whitefield's sermons included people of all races and genders, both rich and poor. He encouraged people to have personal faith in God, and to do good works.
The Great Awakening lasted into the 1740s and had a great impact on life in North America. It helped unite the colonies, encouraged equality, and spread some of the ideas that would one day lead to the American Revolution and independence from Great Britain.

The page after that. (in short)
The Great Awakening taught that the path to heaven was the same no matter a person's gender, race, or wealth.
In addition, many new churches were established, and new religions were born. As these new churches and religious ideas spread, people became more accepting of religious differences. Overall, this movement encouraged diversity in thought, expression, and religion.

The Great Awakening was the first major event that united the 13 British colonies in a common movement. The colonies had all been founded for different reasons by different groups of people. But all the colonies participated together in the Great Awakening.

In some ways, the movement showed how similar these different groups of people could be. This sense of unity would help Americans years later in their fight for independence.
The Great Awakening spread a belief that all people were equal in the eyes of God. This idea made people question the authority of the British government.

The colonists believed the British Parliament didn't treat them as equals by giving them a strong voice in government. As a result, ideas about revolution started to grow in the colonies.


THE NEXT BIT IS ABOUT Anne Hutchinson OK THANKS

Hutchinson joins the Puritans in Massachusetts.


Anne Hutchinson was born in England in 1591. In 1634, she and her family sailed for North America in search of religious freedom. They settled among the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The family joined a Puritan church, but before long, Hutchinson's ideas began to conflict with some of the church's teachings. The Puritan church had very strict rules and beliefs, but Hutchinson disagreed with that approach. She believed people should be free to think and worship God in their own ways.

Hutchinson starts religious study groups for women.

Hutchinson wanted to express her ideas about free worship and free thought. At the time, however, women were not allowed to express their ideas or opinions, especially in the Puritan religion. Puritans believed women's ideas were dangerous to the souls of men.
But Hutchinson thought her ideas were important. She started a weekly religious group for women that met in her home. The group would pray together and study the Bible and weekly sermons. Hutchinson would also express her own views on these topics. The groups became more and more popular. Eventually, men began attending them too.

Puritan leaders plan to stop Hutchinson.

The Puritan leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony felt Hutchinson's ideas did not agree with their teachings. They saw Hutchinson's study groups as a threat to their authority and to the men of the colony.
The governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, found a way to stop her. The meetings were not illegal on their own, but they were so large that they could be considered "disorderly." He decided that she was breaking the law and ordered her to be arrested.

Hutchinson is forced to leave Massachusetts.

Roger Sherman encouraged Hutchinson to come to Rhode Island after she was forced out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In 1637, Hutchinson was arrested. Puritan leaders accused her of encouraging the colony's men to disobey church teachings. They also accused her of encouraging the colony's women to ignore their family responsibilities. She was found guilty and forced to leave the colony.

Hutchinson and her followers moved to Rhode Island, which had been founded by Roger Sherman in 1636. In Rhode Island, she and her followers helped start a new government that had a separation between the government and religion.


African Culture in Colonial North America

Many people of African descent were forced to live as slaves.
Like many poor Europeans, Africans first came to North America as indentured servants. But over time, the colonies' demand for inexpensive labor on farms and in households grew so great that colonists turned to a new source of labor — slavery. As a result, many Africans were captured and sold into slavery in North America.

Slavery spread quickly across the colonies, but it was especially common in the South, where large plantations needed many laborers. By the 1770s, there were hundreds of thousands of Africans in the colonies. Most were enslaved, but some also lived as free people.

AFRICAN CULTURE IN MURICA