The Second Great Awakening was known as a religious revival that occurred throughout the United States. This Awakening took place during the late eighteenth century and lasted through the middle of the nineteenth century. However, this religious movement was greatly forced among the Northeast and the Midwest. In addition to being a religious movement, other reforms took place socially including women’s and slaves rights, and contributions to education. Ultimately, a distinctive feature of religious life during the Second Great Awakening was the Camp Meetings. Camp Meetings was a technical developed by Minister James McGready. Preachers of every denomination attended and were encouraged to preach about their experiences. George Baxter, president of Washington College in Virginia, stated, “I found Kentucky the most moral place I had ever been. Something extraordinary nature seemed necessary to arrest the attention of a giddy …show more content…
Donald G. Matthews said, “Was just what it was represented to me, a new entry into a new life, often to the consternation of those upon whom a woman had been psychologically dependent.”(Ch.6,131). This statement implies that women now had a sense of self confidence and also was preceding in church membership. More importantly these primary steps to women rights in the church provided opportunities for women to participate in outside affairs such as: charitable events, local groups, and missionary projects. On the Other Hand, the Second Great Awakening also contributed to Education. Presbyterians and Congregationalists were most active in funding academics and colleges. Furthermore, part of the energy converted by the revivals were directed towards efforts to provide educational opportunities for women and blacks. “Emily Willard’s Troy Female Seminary (1821) and Mary Lou’s at Mt. Holyoke are the most frequently examples of female seminars in the
The Great Awakening differed from the traditional religious activity for two reasons. It differed because of the presence of women and this exhibits differentiation because women were not allowed to participate in the traditional religious activities such as speaking in church. It differed because the setting that the preaching took place . George Whitefield established that to be a good christian did not require practice to be positioned in church, so he gave sermons outside where anyone could participate.
Nathan Hatch compares the Second Great Awakening to the Jacksonian era. He states that the men trying to persuade other people to join their religion was like tyrants trying to get people to follow them. That just like the beginning stages of the revolution, this was a time of power struggle for religious leaders. Hatch writes ‘These movements
The Second Great Awakening laid the foundations of the development of present-day religious beliefs and establishments, moral views, and democratic ideals in the United States. Beginning back in late eighteenth century and lasting until the middle of the nineteenth century,1 this Protestant awakening sought to reach out the un-churched and bring people to a much more personal and vivid experience of Christianity. Starting on the Southern frontier and soon spreading to the Northeast, the Second Great Awakening has also been associated as a response against the growing liberalism in religion - skepticism, deism, and rational Christianity.2 Although the movement is well-known to be
In the 1830's, 1840's, and beyond, There is a Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening had a decided impact on American society. In the following I will describe what the Great Awakening was and how it changed life in America.
The Second Great Awakening revolved around the new concept of national reform through religious and moral changes. These changes and transitions occurred for the benefit of the country, by withdrawing the negative aspects of society such as alcohol overuse, low quality education and prisons, and most notably slavery. Religious leaders encouraged salvation and worshipping the Christian God to be best solution for successfully reforming and improving the nation’s predicaments. Religious ideas had a remarkable role constructing reform movements in the first half of the nineteenth century in behalf of religion offering the most moral and logical path towards a better society. People of the United States were in necessity of reforms, applying the religious ideas opened up new resolutions for all classes, races, and groups of people.
After 1815, a women’s status in society was shaped both by the “market revolution” and the “Second Great Awakening”. The “market revolution” was a drastic change in the nation's economy through transportation, education, legal reforms. Examples of these reforms would include the creation of canals, roads, railroads, and the technology needed to commute between places, an increase in teacher wages, school terms, and curriculum, and the spreading awareness of massive movements such as the temperance, abolitionist, and prison reform movement. The “Second Great Awakening” was a revival of religious spirit that attracted social minorities, such as women, African-Americans,and native Americans, that produced many new sects of Protestantism, such
Some called it the Second Great Awakening because it “raised people’s hopes for the second coming of the Christian messiah and the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth.” (Norton, et. al., Mindtap, 10-7) With industrialization on the rise and new cities in development, many people began to take certain aspects of culture as symbols of evil. The Second Great Awakening was a way to prevent evil in American cities in the hope of creating a perfect Christian society. “Revivalists strove for large-scale conversions. Rural women, men, and children traveled long distances to camp meetings, where they heard fiery sermons preached day and night from hastily constructed platforms and tents in forests or fields.” (Norton, et. al., Mindtap, 10-7) Many people were traveling great distances to hear sermons because they were persuaded to believe that society needed to be cleansed before the messiah’s return. The most popular preachers of this revival were Lyman Beecher and Charles G. Finney. These two preachers “argued that evil was avoidable,” and anyone could be cleansed from sin. (Norton, et. al., Mindtap, 10-7a) Charles G. Finney was a law-turned-Presbyterian minister who conducted revivals in towns along the Erie Canal. Finney was most successful in conversions in New York. New York at the time was experiencing a high level of technologic change. Along with technologic advancement
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival that gave new religious applications of old Enlightenment ideals of democracy and
The First Great Awakening was a religious revival that swept across Colonial America in the 18th century. The First Great Awakening changed the colonists attitudes toward religion and helped pave the way for the American Revolution. It impacted the way colonists worshipped and gave them a sense of independence. This paper will look at the cause and effect of the First Great Awakening.
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival movement during the 19th century that challenged women’s traditional roles in religion. The Second Great Awakening gave women a more effective role in society. For Elijah Pierson and his wife
The second great awakening was the emergence of new religious branches. There were three main branches that influences the Unites States as it grew and was still trying to rid of the English ways. these three branches were named Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian. All three of these branches grew quickly in popularity. The most popular however was the Presbyterian church. All of these shares the same core belief but held different values and reasons for existence. The presbyterian church is part of what I feel helped push the western expiation to continue further. This is due to the one message they wanted to convey to others, " Salvation is available not just to a select few, as the Calvinist Puritans have claimed, but to anyone who repents and embraces Christ". Other religious view were adopted in this time that caused the population to see the world in a new light and gain more spiritual growth.
By the 18th century, there were concerns about the declining religious devotion and the increase of secularism emerging in the United States. The result of these changes was the Great Awakening, the first major american revival. There were many preachers that were outspoken from their religion. George Whitefield was one of many of those preachers. Whitefield was very compassionate during his speeches, preaching the words of God, weeping with sorrow, spreading the word of God, and hitting people on an emotional standpoint. He made numerous evangelizing tours through the colonies and attracted large crowds. Nathan Cole, like thousands of others, came to see George Whitefield. Nathan Cole wrote in “The Spiritual Travels of Nathan Cole” and said, “When I saw Mr. Whitefield come upon the Scaffold he lookt almost angelical; a young, Slim, slender, youth before some thousands of people with a bold undaunted Countenance, and my hearing how God was with him every where he came along it Solemnized my mind; and put me into a trembling fear before he began to preach; for he looked as if he was Cloathed with authority from the Great God; and a sweet sollume solemnity sat upon his brow And my hearing him preach, gave me a heart wound…” Cole had just described that hundreds upon hundreds of people came to see Whitefield and speakers like him. This greatly revived religion in many peoples’ lives. Cole said that the speech given touched him in the heart as it did with thousands of others.
During the Second Great Awakening from 1825-1850, people in the United States came to aspire for a more democratic country. There were several reform movements throughout the awakening that sought to expand democratic ideals. Reform was attempted in several different areas of American life. Attempts to improve and refine women's’ rights, abolitionism, education, religion, immigration, and utopianism in the United States were made.
of religon. More people came to church for the worship of god from their heart.
Her faulty reputation followed her everywhere she went and “she did not realize the danger of changing neighborhoods so often, nor know that it was safest for people to stay where they are best known, and where slanderers make out to live upon one old story for a thousand years, but transport it into a new neighborhood and ten thousand will immediately be added to it.”6 The Methodist Church, which secured individuals by providing them with the gift of redemption was misleading as their role did not extend to this and victimized women like Sarah. Methodism, which failed to protect Cornell, also recruited women similar to Sarah, playing to their youthful and immature nature. The Camp Meeting is “A thing much more to be dreaded than even theatrical entertainments, inasmuch as it goes under the name of religion; whereas the former is called by all sorts of evil names that can serve to warn people.” When people go to a camp ground, they are unaware of the dangers that exist there and the threats they pose at every step.7 While the factory life was orderly, the Methodist camp’s where rather chaotic and uncontrolled. Methodism, as a new emerging religion appeared to appeal to those who were rather lonely and seeking