Colonial Society on the Eve of the Revolution
AP History Syllabus
In the century and a half prior to the American Revolution, the individual colonial American’s
attitude changed dramatically. The popular notion is that it was a time of increased
democracy and personal freedom; however this was not the case throughout the colonies. In
fact, tensions clearly existed between the governors and the governed, the rich and poor
and those living along the coastline with those living in the backwoods country.
There were also powerful intellectual forces at work in American society. The Enlightenment
and the Great Awakening provided a formidable challenge to the controlling authority of the
Puritan elite. The Great Awakening eroded the authority of organized religion by stressing
the individual’s ability to communicate directly with God. The Enlightenment further reduced
the power of organized religion by removing a sense of God’s presence in an individual’s daily
existence. These two forces shaped the intellectual climate of the Eighteenth Century which
in turn had a strong influence on the establishment of a new nation.
Objectives:
 To evaluate the extent of the democratization of colonial American society on the eve
of the Revolution.
 To analyze the class tensions which were present in colonial America.
 To assess the changing role of the individual in colonial America.
 To evaluate the impact of the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment on the political
developments of the new nation.
Vocabulary
Bacon’s Rebellion
Culpepper’s Rebellion
Shays Rebellion
Old Lights
The Enlightenment
Jean Jacques Rousseau
The Carolina Regulators
Leisler’s Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion
New Lights
The Great Awakening
John Peter Zenger
The Paxton Boys
Fries Rebellion
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
The Halfway Covenant
Natural Rights Philosophy
Resources: American Pageant: Chapter 4 and 5, and Howard Zinn Chapter 3.
Wednesday, September 24: Small group work – How democratic was society in Colonial
America: Examine the documents presented in the study “Democracy in Colonial
Wethersfield, Connecticut” For Thursday: Read American Pageant pp. 66-73
Thursday, September 25: We will discuss the areas in which Colonial America was becoming
more democratic as well as those areas in which it was not.
For Friday: Answer the key questions from today’s discussion.
Friday September 26: We will define the idea of mercantilism which was the guiding
principle for England at this time. We will then examine how this affected the relationship
between the colonists and Mother England. For Monday: Read Howard Zinn: chapter 3 and
answer the questions on the handout.
Monday, Tuesday, September 29, 30: Go over the answers from the Zinn reading. We will
work on analyzing the evidence of class strife in British Colonial North America. We will also
identify the impact that the Glorious Revolution had upon the British colonies.
For Tuesday: Read American Pageant pp. 73-96
For Wednesday: Read American Pageant pp. 96-105.
For Monday, October 6: East West Conflict writing due.
Wednesday, Friday October 1, 3: What Significant impact did the Great Awakening and
Enlightenment have on colonial-American society in the 18th century? How did this influence
American thoughts and actions?
For Thursday: Study for Quiz. This quiz will ONLY be on chapters 4 and 5 in the text
book. It will not include anything from our class discussions.
Thursday, October 2: Pageant Quiz on Chapters 4 and 5. After the quiz, we will continue
our discussion of the intellectual movements of this age.
Friday, Monday, October 3, 6: Analysis of the Declaration of Independence
For Monday: In what sense is the Declaration of Independence a product of Enlightened
thought?
Tuesday, October, 7: Review
Wednesday, October 8: Test