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Kingdom Of Matthias Essay

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The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown marked the end of the American Revolution but the start of new ideas and a new nation. The American Revolution opened the doors to ingenuity, new traditions, and freedom. The Revolution had an impact on the world around them and in the United States years after it ended. Kingdom of Matthias by Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz explores the life of Elijah Pierson and Robert Mathews or Matthias. Elijah, Matthias and their clan were affected by the ideas that resulted from the revolution including freedom of religion, new social roles, and the Market Revolution although, their future was marked by how they reacted to the ideas they were presented. The American revolution paved the way to radical ideas after America achieved its independence. One of the many ideas that came about was religious freedom, before the revolution Pennsylvania and Rhode Island were the only states with it. The Second Great Awakening came shortly after the revolution, it spread the concept of the self made spiritual man which cohered with the existing idea of the economically self made man, in which a man could work hard and make a name for himself instead of inheriting a family fortune with a reputation. The newfound principles provided diversity and inspired people to spread their own beliefs and start cults. Robert Mathews was one of the inspired men who called himself who deemed himself many names. Mathews’s followers were open to his beliefs and teachings

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