1734–1766

The Great Awakening in the British Colonies of North America

In 1734–1735 a revival began in the parish of the Congregationalist Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) at Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards was influenced by Locke's philosophy and believed in unconditional election. In his Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746) he sought a balance between critics and exploiters of the revival's religious emotions. In Freedom of the Will (1754) he defended predestination.

From 1740, preaching tours by the Englishman George Whitefield spread the movement across New England and then all thirteen colonies. It cut across denominational lines, and Baptists and Methodists benefited most.

The Awakening fostered a sense of common colonial identity even before the War of Independence. The religious enthusiasm it generated led to the founding of several colleges to train clergy and educated laypeople: Princeton, Columbia, Brown and Rutgers (1746–1766).