By the mid-1700s, the colonies were home to an incredible variety of spiritual beliefs. While religious "modern revivals" signaled a renewed commitment to faith, they also grew out of a pluralistic environment where no single church held total authority. However, Butler reminds us that this emerging tolerance had a dark side: it rarely extended to the Native American or African populations, whose own spiritual traditions were often suppressed or decimated. 4. Politics Beyond the Town Hall
We often hear about New England town meetings, but Butler argues that real political power moved to the provincial level. Colonists became "politically self-conscious" and power-hungry, building complex political institutions that were far more participatory than those in Europe. They weren't just reacting to British taxes; they were practicing the art of self-governance for decades. Why It Matters Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776 fr...
Between 1680 and 1770, the British mainland colonies underwent a transformation that turned them into the world’s "first modern society". Long before George Washington took command, the DNA of modern America was already being spliced together. 1. A "Jumble of Peoples": The First Melting Pot By the mid-1700s, the colonies were home to