Discuss the First Great Awakening in the American colonies.

The First Great Awakening was a religious revival movement that took place in England and in the American colonies starting in the 1730s. In reaction to the Enlightenment and its emphasis on reason, the First Great Awakening sought to restore religious sentiment and the belief in predestination (the idea that one is chosen or not chosen to be elected to heaven before one is born).
During the movement, new, enthusiastic preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield preached in outdoor revival meetings that stirred people's emotions. They emphasized a direct connection to God and an experience of rebirth and salvation. These preachers, known as "New Lights," were active along the frontier and in the South, and they challenged establishment "Old Light" ministers in places like Boston. As a result of the First Great Awakening, religions such as Baptism and Methodism grew in the American colonies.