aka the Great Awakening

1. The Very Very Very Big
Awakening
AKA The Great Awakening

2. What is this “Big Awakening” thing you
keep babbling about?!?
• A Great Awakening = Period of rapid religious
revival
• Four Great Awakenings
• THE Great Awakening = first (c. 1730 – 1755)
• Primarily in England and New England

3. Wha? Who awakened what?
• Jonathan Edwards
– Yale minister who believed New Englanders were far too
concerned with worldly matters
• George Whitefield
– Britain minister, preached passionately
• Gilbert Tennent
• Style
– Itinerant and censorious preaching
– Considerable controversy
– Copied by many
• New style of enthusiastic preaching inspired many

4. But then who woke THOSE people up?
• Harsh life
• Germany and Northern Ireland
– Wracked with warfare and famine
– Hundreds of thousands migrate to Americas
• America
– Taking in the poor Germans
– Conflict along borders left families desolated
• Great Britain
– Success of the government at the cost of faith
– Entering the Industrial Revolution, many miners and
factory workers converted

5. So, what did this “Awakening” thing do?
• Trend – sermons that emphasized equality
among religions and among classes
• Outlined law in Enlightenment perspective
– Authority subject to law as well
– Revolt against tyranny was legal and religious duty

6. Ah… I bet this was what caused the
American Revolution!
• No (not direct cause of it)
• Yes (united colonies, ministers viewed as
upper class, therefore them preaching
towards common broke down “respect for
betters”)

7. Where’s your sources?
• Heyrman, Christine Leigh. “The First Great Awakening.” Divining
America, TeacherServe©. National Humanities Center. DATE YOU ACCESSED ESSAY.
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm
• McCormick, Meaghan S.. quot;The Great Awakening and Its Effect on the Society and
Religion of the Connecticut River Valley.quot; Welcome to the Town of
Longmeadow, Massachusetts. 5 Apr 2009
<http://www.longmeadow.org/hist_soc/awakening.htm>.
• quot;Great Awakening.quot; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 31 Mar 2009, 14:24 UTC. 5
Apr 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Awakening&oldid=280865617>
.
• quot;First Great Awakening.quot; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Apr 2009, 17:19 UTC.
5 Apr 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Great_Awakening&oldid=28111
1243>.
• Wood, Gordon. quot;The Great Awakening [ushistory.org].quot; ushistory.org. 01 Jan 2008.
Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia. 5 Apr 2009
<http://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.asp>.