The Handy American History Answer Book. David L. Hudson

      What was the First Great Awakening?

      The First Great Awakening was a religious movement in the American colonies, particularly in Massachusetts and other parts of New England, that led to a renewed revitalization in personal commitment to religion. Ministers such as Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) and George Whitefield (1714–1770) led revivals at their churches, urging their parishioners to dedicate themselves to a renewed sense of personal responsibility and morality. Edwards delivered one of the best-known sermons in American history known as “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Whitefield traveled the colonies preaching with messianic zeal, urging that all achieve salvation by confessing their sins and accepting God. The First Great Awakening was a major social event that transformed numerous Protestant denominations and posed a serious threat to the traditional Puritan church structure.

      Protestant preacher and major theologian of his day, Jonathan Edwards was one of the key figures in the First Great Awakening in the eighteenth century.

      Were there other Great Awakenings?

      Yes, there have been at least two others. The Second Great Awakening started around 1790 and lasted throughout much of the first half of the nineteenth century. The Third and Fourth Awakenings (occurring in the latter part of the nineteenth century and from 1960 to 1980, respectively) are often viewed by historians as more hypothetical and indicative of the promotion of an agenda by certain Protestant leaders. Each Great Awakening has been marked by a return to piety and a call by Protestant denominations to return to a purer form of Christianity marked by proselytizing and social activism, such as support for the abolition of slavery and prohibition of alcohol.

      Which colony first passed an anti-slavery law?

      Rhode Island passed an anti-slavery law in 1652—the first by any colony in North America. However, the demand for inexpensive labor remained great, and the law largely remained unenforced. Rhode Island did not pass an anti-slavery law with real force until the 1780s.

      What Boston judge wrote against slavery in 1700?

      Boston judge Samuel Sewall (1652–1730) wrote an anti-slavery piece called The Selling of Joseph. He termed slavery an “atrocious crime” and said that “liberty is in real value next unto life: none ought to part with it themselves or deprive others of it.” Sewall based many of his objections to slavery on Biblical principles. Sewall is also known for his participation in the Salem Witch Trials, for which he later apologized. Sewell served for many years as chief justice of the leading Massachusetts court. Sewall has been called the only abolitionist in early eighteenth-century Massachusetts.

      What anti-slavery law was passed in Virginia in 1670?

      The Virginia assembly passed a law prohibiting lifelong slavery for those African slaves who became Christians before arriving in the colony. The bill was inspired by those who believed it was unlawful to enslave fellow Christians. However, the Virginia assembly later repealed the law in 1682.

      What is the official church of Maryland?

      In May 1692, the Anglican Church was declared the official church of the Maryland colony. This is somewhat counterintuitive, as Maryland was originally set up as a haven for Catholics. However, most of the inhabitants of the colony were Protestants. The Anglican Church remained the official church of Maryland until 1776.

      Maryland was not the only colony with strong ties and allegiance to the Anglican Church; it had a stronghold in several colonies. For example, South Carolina passed a law in 1704 providing that non-Anglicans could not hold positions in the assembly. The British parliament rejected the law two years later.

WARS AND CONFLICTS

      What was King Philip’s War?

      King Philip’s War was a conflict between several Native American tribes and English colonists in New England. The war was fought between 1675 and 1678 in present-day Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine. The war is named after an Indian chief named Metacom, or King Philip (1639–1676), leader of the Wampanoag. The conflict allegedly began when a farmer killed an Indian who was stealing his cattle. Metacom believed this amounted to murder and demanded retribution. When the local colonists denied his claim, Metacom took matters into his own hands, killing the farmer and several other settlers.

      During the conflict, the Wampanoag were assisted by several other tribes, including the Nipmuck, Podunk, Narragansett, and Nashaway. However, some Native American tribes served as allies to the colonists, including the Mohegan and Pequot tribes. Metacom died during the conflict at the hands of an Indian named John Alderman, who had converted to Christianity. The conflict was bloody, leading to the death of more than three thousand Indians.

      What was Queen Anne’s War?

      Queen Anne’s War, also known as the Third Indian War, was the North American component of the larger conflict known as the War of the Spanish Succession. It took place between 1702 and 1713. The larger conflict featured Spain and France battling against England. Different Indian tribes fought on each side. The war was fought on several fronts, including in Carolina, Florida, New England, and Newfoundland, Canada.

      The British got the best of the military conflicts overall and ultimately obtained certain French settlements during the treaty that ended the conflict. The treaty, however, failed to resolve the interests of different Indian tribes, nor did it result in a significant defeat for the French, who maintained an active presence in North America.

      Queen Anne (1665–1814) ruled England from 1702 to 1707 and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. Queen Anne’s War involved England’s territorial disputes in North America with France and Spain.

      What was the War of Jenkins’s Ear?

      The War of Jenkins’s Ear refers to a military conflict between Great Britain and Spain that technically lasted from 1739 to 1748. It is so named because Robert Jenkins, an English captain, had his ear cut off by Spanish officials who boarded his vessel in 1731. The war was largely fought by ships, but in 1742 the Spanish attempted to invade the colony of Georgia. General Oglethorpe successfully defeated the Spanish at two successive battles at Bloody Marsh and Gully Hole Creek to repel the invaders.

      What was King George’s War?

      King George’s War was the North American component of the War of Austrian Succession and a conflict sometimes referred to as the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It was fought between 1744 and 1748 between French and British colonial interests. The war failed to solve the tensions and enmities between the two powers, which resulted in the fourth French and Indian War a decade later. Much of the conflict occurred in New England, particularly Massachusetts.

      What was the Siege of Louisbourg?

      The Siege of Louisbourg was a key battle in King George’s War in which New England colonial forces captured Louisbourg, a French stronghold in present-day Cape Breton Island in North America. A significant British success, the victory helped Britain bargain to obtain peace. However, the British ceded Louisbourg back to the French in the 1848 treaty that ended the war.

      What was the French and Indian War?

      The French and Indian War was the name for the armed conflict of the Seven Years’ War between Great Britain and France fought on North American soil. Some of the Seven Years’ War was waged in other parts of the world, including Europe. The war was waged between 1754 and 1763. The war featured Great Britain and a couple of Indian tribes—the Iriquois, Catawba, and Cherokee against France and a host of Indian tribes. On North America, the war was fought from Virginia up into present-day Canada. Great Britain far outnumbered the French, leading to the French enlisting the aid of numerous Indian tribes.

      The war featured the emergence of a young military leader from Virginia named George Washington (1732–1799), who led