United States History Student Edition

banning of printed materials because they contain unpopular or offensive ideas. In 1733 publisher John Peter Zenger, in his newspaper the New-York Weekly Journal , accused New York’s governor of corruption. For criticizing the governor, officials charged Zenger with a crime and put him in jail. Zenger argued that the statements written about the governor were true. Therefore, he claimed, he had the right to publish them. Zenger’s lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, made a stirring defense saying that suppressing the press would lead to suppressing liberty. The jury found Zenger not guilty. The case is seen as a key step in the development of a free press in this country. As the people of all three regions became united in their shared experience, a national identity began to emerge. This identity grew stronger as Americans rallied behind their common cause: breaking free of British rule. The excitement of revolution ignited and spread like a flame throughout the Thirteen Colonies. The journey toward independence was about to begin. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Explaining How did the Great Awakening strengthen American colonists’ desire for political freedom? LESSON ACTIVITIES 1. Explanatory Writing Write an essay explaining how the colonies began to develop a new and distinctly American identity before 1754. 2. Collaborating With a partner, design and create an illustrated trifold brochure to persuade Europeans that the American colonies are an excellent place to migrate. Look at other brochures and advertisements to see how they use facts to persuade the reader of an opinion, such as the one of your brochure. Devote at least one panel each to the advantages of the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Trade brochures with another student pair and identify the facts and opinions in the each other’s brochures.

The Great Awakening inspired religious freedom and led to the formation of many new types of churches. As more colonists began choosing their own faiths, the strength of traditional churches declined . A Baptist preacher noted soon after the Great Awakening “that common people now claim as good a right to judge and act in matters of religion as civil rulers or the learned clergy.” The Great Awakening had a profound effect on the newly emerging American identity. The concept of personal faith inspired new ideas about freedom. Colonists gathered to share ideas about their right to self-government and their right to speak out against the government. Colonists were beginning to form new ideas of freedom. They began thinking in terms of civic virtue (SI•vihk VUHR•choo)—democratic ideas, practices, and values that form a truly free society. These ideas would become the building blocks of a new nation. Freedom of the Press Freedom of the press became an important issue in colonial America. Newspapers in colonial cities carried political news and often faced government censorship. Censorship is the The kitchen was the heart of the American home in colonial times. Maintaining the fire was an important task. The fire was used to cook food, provide warmth, and boil water for washing clothes. This illustration was created in the late 1800s.

decline to lessen civil relating to citizens and the state

civic virtue democratic ideas, practices, and values that form a truly free society

PHOTO: Bettmann/Getty Images; TEXT: Backus, Isaac. A Fish Caught in His Own Net: An Examination of Nine Sermons, From Matthew 16, 18. Boston: Edes and Gill, 1768.

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