It is often said that The Great Awakening was a movement that impacted the religious community forever. I would like to argue that people really did not change much after the Awakening, and they slipped back into their old habits after the entertaining revivals. I will be discussing what happened during the Great Awakening, and why it happened. Also, the impacts it had, and the influential people like George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards who encouraged this movement and helped it flourish. The Great Awakening was rush of religious recovery clearing through New England that expanded changes and church participation. Through the senses, people could now understand God’s truth. During the time of the Great awakening, the Congregational Church split into groups called Old Lights and New Lights. The supporters of the Awakening were called New Lights in New England and New Sides in the Middle Colonies: these accentuated supremacy of emotions. "New Lights": defense by confidence, vagrant evangelizing, energy, recovery, and radicalism. Old lights ultimately did the opposite; they would downplay emotion, and emphasize rationalism. Some of the people who were influential during this time were people like George Whitefield who had thousands that would venture out to see and hear him preach. Gilbert Tennent was another influential man during this time. His most popular sermon, "On the Danger of an Unconverted Ministry," contrasted contemporary hostile to revivalist pastors with
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
To begin, the Great Awakening took place during the early 1730’s. It was a period where religious revivals were spreading along the Atlantic coast. Preachers such as Jonathan Edwards would go around and try to get people back into Christianity. One reason why colonist turned away from Christianity was because of the Enlightenment. He would describe hell and heaven trying to convince colonist to rejoin christianity.
A product of the religious revival in Western Europe from late 17th century to early 18th century, the First Great Awakening was a period of religious growth throughout the British American colonies from approximately 1720 to the 1740s. This awakening was led by many religious figures such as John Wesley - a founder of Methodism in the Church of England, George Whitefield - an Anglican who preached throughout the colonies from 1739 to 1740, and Jonathan Edwards - an Apologist of the Great Awakening who led the revival in Northampton, Massachusetts. Although this period of religious high is referred to as “The First Great Awakening,” historians still debate whether or not this grandiose title is deserved.
The First Awakening began in New England where John Edwards was a new light minister known for Sinners in the “Hand of an Angry God.” Many new light ministers saw state supported churches as obstacles to expressing faith. It is said that the First Awakening spurred the American Revolution. Edward’s emotional sermon caused people to leave state churches in large quantities. As the number of church memberships dwindled, people began to question aspects of their daily lives such as religion and the government.
A restructuring of religious doctrine, beliefs, and social practices during the 17th and 18th centuries in England, and in North America, infused with Calvinistic religious doctrine initiated the beginning of The Great Awakening. Following this further, according to Christine Leigh Heyrman, The First Great Awakening: Divining America,” a New Age of faith rose to counter the currents of the Age of Enlightenment. Ultimately reaffirming the view that being truly religious meant trusting the heart rather than the head, prizing feeling more than thinking, and relying on biblical revelation rather than human reason. After a while, several religious revivals sprung forth appeasing the colonists in America desire for a deep and significant personal relationship with God. Thus, this dogma spread to other denominations throughout the colonies in America (Heyrman).” As a result, The Great Awakening spread throughout the middle colonies in America by notable revivalist preachers instituting moderate Calvinistic doctrinal theology especially for the Presbyterians and the Congregationalists, and opened the door to unprecedented world societal changes.
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 Great Awakening was a religious movement that swept through the colonies. One of the leaders of this movement was George Whitfield. Whitfield was a popular speaker due to his unique and influential way of speaking messages. George Whitfield was a powerful and influential speaker (Doc. A), Whitfield was able to convince Ben Franklin to donate his money to a cause that he at first did not support, the fact that Whitfield was able to change someone's mind just through speaking is amazing.
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.
The Great Awakening was a fervent religious movement that had a significant impact on the Protestant people and shaped new congregations deriving from the “’New Light’ revivalist and ‘Old Light’ traditionalists.” (Brinkley, p.83) The apex of the Great Awakening was between the 1730s and 1740s, offering the colonial people a deeper sense of spiritual improvement by preaching’s that made faith the center of personal focus. The Great Awakening was the result of neglection of spiritual guidance among the Protestant believers in the Colonies, which was revived by the teachings of Congregationalist Jonathan Edwards.
of religon. More people came to church for the worship of god from their heart.
The First Great Awakening, was a religious revitalization movement that came through the Atlantic region, and even more so in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, forever impacting American religion & is widely known as the most important event for American religion during the eighteenth century. The First Great Awakening was inspired by an English Methodist known as George Whitefield along with other ministers, when many people in the rural areas rejected the Enlighted and rational religion that came from the Cosmopolitan pulpits and port cities. George Whitefield began this movement with speaking tours through the colonies (“The Great Awakening”).
The age of reform was introduced after the 1800s when a wide range of reforms began to emerge. This included within Second great awakening, which had begun several movements such as the eradication of alcohol, the anti-slavery movement, and women’s rights. Each of these reforms had made great strides for the people of the time, and overall had made a lasting impact within the modern society. The Second Great Awakening was a spiritual revolution that had ultimately altered the overall outlook on religion by using its methods of revivals.
During the 1730s and 1740s, something remembered as the Great Awakening happened. The Great Awakening was the first big movement in the colonies.The Great Awakening was the Awakening of religion which suddenly became popular. During the Great Awakening, a man named George Whitefield was one of the people that drew people's attention to religion. Whitefield preached and reached out to people. He also made Church fun and intriguing. According to Document A (Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography), George Whitefield was popular because everyone could hear, understand, and enjoy his sermons. Also, people came from far away to hear Whitefield preach. Nathan Cole says that Whitefield looks almost angelic when he gave a sermon. George Whitefield made church
Prior to The Great Awakening was a period of time called The Enlightenment. During this time, prominent men