Final answer:
The Great Awakening, coupled with the Enlightenment, instilled in American colonists the belief in self-rule by promoting skepticism of institutionalized authority and affirming individual rights and intellectual freedom. This sentiment was bolstered by the colonists' experience with representative self-government and ultimately led to the revolutionary desire for independence from British control.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Great Awakening was a significant influence on the thinking of American colonists regarding self-governance. This spiritual revival emphasized the importance of personal faith and dedication over institutional control, which led to a skepticism of institutionalized authority. Furthermore, combined with the Enlightenment, it fostered a belief in the potential for personal improvement and social betterment among the educated elite. They began to suspect any attempts to limit their intellectual freedom or erode their rights as English citizens.
Simultaneously, the experience of political tension in the colonies, as new governors sought to assert control and the local assemblies fought to expand their power, demonstrated the practicality of self-governance. Many colonists considered their government the most enlightened in Europe and believed that they had the right to protest against objectionable policies from Parliament, furthering the belief in self-rule.
In essence, the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment fostered an environment that prized intellectual freedom, moral justification for individual rights, and a pragmatic approach to government. This laid the groundwork for the desire to self-govern and eventually led to the drive for independence from British rule, culminating in the American Revolution.