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Abstract

Religion was a pertinent, prevalent, and powerful force in the American Revolution. By examining the autobiography of Justin Hitchcock, the journal of Esther Edwards Burr from 1754 to 1757, and African-American/slave narratives by John Marrant, Briton Hammon, and James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, this thesis hopes to offer insight into how, for most people, the post-Great Awakening Puritan ethic (or in some cases, revivalist Calvinism) was an incredibly dynamic force that promoted both political change and traditional values. Much has been written on the evolving political ideologies of famous, white, male colonists during this period; this thesis explores the perspectives of those who were not as directly politically involved. A discussion on the presence and effect of religion in the colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as a description of post-Awakening evangelicalism and pre-Awakening liberalism, both supplement an analysis of the primary sources. The ultimate conclusion is that, in a way, Calvinism and the Puritan ethic were powerful revolutionary forces precisely because of their ambivalent natures.

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