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 authority of the Puritan
elite who had tried to create a highly structured society that controlled the individual
through the domination of church and state. 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. These two forces shaped the intellectual climate of the Eighteenth Century and
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 25: 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 26: 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: Read American Pageant pp. 73-96
Friday September 27: 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, September 30, Tuesday, October 1: 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 causes, and effects of the various rebellions that took place during this
time period.
For Wednesday: Read American Pageant pp. 96-105.
For Tuesday, October 8: East West Conflict writing due.
Wednesday, Friday October 2, 4: 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 3: Pageant Quiz on Chapters 4 and 5. After the quiz, we will continue
our discussion of the intellectual movements of this age.
Monday, Tuesday, October 7, 8: Analysis of the Declaration of Independence
For Tuesday: In what sense is the Declaration of Independence a product of Enlightened
thought?
Wednesday, October 9: Answering FRQ’s and DBQ’s
For Thursday—Study for Test
Thursday, October 10: Test