Hi History Guy, and welcome.  Did you see my other site at http://www.great-awakening?  It's got some information regarding the effects the Great Awakening had on the consciousness of the Colonists during the 18th Century which I argue contributed toward a particular disposition in regard to the England.  Perhaps I should not go too much into detail if the assignment requires you to do the research, but I can give you an overview of what the site says to help you get started.  Basically the Awakening created a tendency to question authority within the Colonists.  While this kind of questioning was religious in nature as churches broke away from other churches, it was transferred over into politics as well.  Eventually, the desire to effectively control one's own religious destiny turned into desire to control one's own political or governmental destiny.  But please, do visit the site I gave the link to and check out some of what is there.  There is a list of reading sources at http://www.great-awakening.com/sources.htm and I'm sure one of the other posters here can list some good books for your level if you would like to read more. 

Ahem, I think I'm being qued here….History Guy, welcome to the forum.  If you need some source material, I am the guy you need to get in contact with.  My email address is djbjr@bellsouth.net.  Basically what Phid said is true in a very concise way.  The Great Awakening opened up religion to the common man in ways Anglicanism (The Church of England) would not allow.  Once the common man found a niche for himself spiritually, he was sure to find it politically down the road.  The revivals of the Great Awakening initiated a slow, but persistent change in how colonials felt about their society and its relationship with the mother country.  It was the first inter-colonial event that helped to bond the colonies in ways that had previously not been the case.  Now you take this and run with it, and like I said, if you need some source material, I can definitely help you out there.

I absolutely loved studying the Great Awakening, George Whitefield and the effects of both on the colonies. Colonial society was becoming so fluid that it could not continue with its rigid concept of predestination much longer. The acceptance of a market economy, increase in immigration and land shortages all contributed to this new era in Colonial history, imo.

I think I see my error…and I'll admit I'm having to go back to my class notes, etc., to understand where my wires are crossed on this topic.

Pertaining to the first part of your post, I was referring to colonists who rejected the rigidity of Calvinism/Puritanism who preferred outward signs to signify the obtainment of grace.  As you rightly noted, Calvin said one could not “know” whether they were saved or not.  The New Lights still believed in election via predestination, but they rejected the notion that it was unknowable. Here is what I meant by reconciling Calvinism.  In simple terms, the colonists said keep predestination, but added the caveat that salvation can be known by a visible New Birth as witnessed in the great revivals.  The outward show of emotions they equated as being signs of the New Birth. 

The Moravians led by Count Zizendorf flourished during this time in the Southern Colonies, but whether or not they were participants in the Great Revival of Religion in the manner of the New Lights and New Sides is not clear to me at this time.  Will have to do some more research on that.