Great Awakening Essay

Great Awakening Essay
By the beginning of the 18th century, there was an unmistakable feeling in the American Colonies that its intemperate society had become too
comfortable and assertive, and had forgotten its original intentions of religious prosperity. The result was a revitalization of religious piety that swept
through the American colonies between the 1730s and the 1770s, a movement known as "The Great Awakening". This revival was part of an
evangelical upsurge occurring simultaneously in England, Scotland, Germany, and other inhabitants on the other side of the Atlantic. In all these
Protestant cultures, a new Age of Faith had arisen contrasting the currents of the Age of Enlightenment, advocating the belief that being truly religious
meant relying on...show more content...
Under the Half–Way Covenant, adults who did not have an apparent religious experience could have their children baptized as well, as long as they
professed a belief in the basic principles of Reformed Christianity. Despite not being able to vote on church matters, they were welcomed as partial
members of the congregation. This trend of religious leniency would extend through the early 1700's. Reverend Solomon Stoddard, pastor of the church
of Northampton, Massachusetts, insisted that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper should have been available to all who lived outwardly pious lives and
had a good reputation in the community, disregarding the absence of full membership of the church. He argued that it was both impossible and
immoral for any human to distinguish the "sheep from the goats", and that consequently, it was best to let God decide. In 1725, his congregation
decided to bring in Stoddard's young grandson, Jonathan Edwards, to assist him. When Stoddard died at age 87, the 24 year old Edwards was elected
pastor. Jonathan Edwards sought to return religion to its Calvinistic roots, and reawaken the fear of God in the hearts of sinners. His emotionally
charged sermons evoked terrifying images of the utter corruption of human nature and the terrors awaiting the unrepentant in hell. Edwards was a
powerful speaker and attracted a large following. His goal was not only to frighten
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First Great Awakening Essay
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. Before the First Great Awakening, a revolution known
as the Glorious Revolution of 1688, stopped the fighting between religious and political groups. The Glorious Revolution declared the Church of
England the reigning church of the country. Now that all of the colonists were under the same religious rule, religion became a past time or a "go
through the motions"

Essay On The Great Awakening Movement
The effects of many events have contributed to the movement for American independence. Specifically, the Great Awakening and the French and
Indian War contributed in different ways. The Great Awakening, a religious movement, helped promote change in the churches of America, while the
French and Indian War united the colonies on a critical issue for the first time. Both the Great Awakening and the French and Indian War united the
American people and took great steps towards American independence.
The Great Awakening came about in the eighteenth century whenreligion was less fervent. The Puritan Church was declining due to elaborate sermons
and compromising efforts to lessen membership requirements. In result, in the 1730s and 1740s, there was a religious revival...show more content...
During the Seven Years War in 1763, both the French and British wanted to extend their territories in North America. But, there were fur traders doing
business with Native Americans, and other English settlers already living their. The French believed that they had exclusive rights to the land, since
their explorers had been their first. Therefore, the British government assembled an intercolonial congress in Albany, New York. The Albany Plan of
Union's immediate purpose was to keep the Native American chiefs loyal to the British in spreading the war, but the long–term purpose was to achieve
greater colonial unity, which would maintain defense against France. The Albany Plan of Union is one of the first important proposals in American
history. The colonists began to see themselves as a separate entity from Great Britain. This presented the colonies as a collective, whole, united nation
under one government. This contributed to the movement towards American independence because the colonies were seen as a united nation that
could bind together against foes, rather than thirteen separate

Key Themes Of The Great Awakening
1. In the context of HIST 2010, some of the key themes that Americans believe are true about themselves are the American passion for freedom which
is fundamental from the New England separatists to the Civil Rights Movement. The pursuit of education means new freedom requires more
education. Another theme is unquestioned fanatic in the value of government. American are willing to expire me to new things. We are a very open
country. Americans do not feel constrained by the past. America believes they are exceptional. We believe we represent the best the world has ever
seen. 2. The Great Awakening was many emotional revivals ignited by a huge sense of religious decline, fear of erosion of religion and the necessity
of "rebirth" during the...show more content...
In October, Burgoyne was forced to surrender in battles of Saratoga. Victories at Saratoga showed world that Americans could win the revolution.
Saratoga will convince the French to support. 4. The Spanish were the first to take advantage of the New World's riches by forging an intense
national unity that enables it to dominate Europe as well as the New World wall France and England were preoccupied with political disputes and
religious conflict. The treasures seized from Mexico and Peru added to Spain's military and economic power. The single–minded focus on gold and
silver also tempted the Spanish government to live beyond its means. Between 1557 and 1662, the kings of Spain were forced to declare bankruptcy
10 times. For most of the colonial period, much of what belong to Spain, and Spanish culture etched a lasting imprint upon American ways of life.
Spain's colonial presence lasted more than three centuries, much longer than either England 's or France's. New Spain

The Second Great Awakening Essay
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.
In essence, the Great Awakening was a religious awakening. It started in the South. Tent camps were set up that revolve around high spirited meetings
that would last for days. These camp meetings were highly emotional and multitudes of people were filled with the Spirit of God. These meeting, were
sponsored mainly by Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterians, and met social needs as well as spiritual needs on the frontier. Since it was hard for the
Baptist and Methodist to sustain local churches,...show more content...
This reform was an attempt to defend Calvinism, (predestination) views against the new liberal ideas created by the Enlightens views. .Threatened by
the spread of Unitarian ideas, a younger generation attempted to reshape New England Puritanism.
The first great practitioner of the new evangelical Calvinism was Lyman Beecher. Beecher led thousands to accept their sinfulness and surrender to God.
Beecher had to confront the new and more radical revivalism in Western New York which was led by Charles G. Finney. Finney challenged the
Calvinist doctrines. He appealed to emotion instead of reason. Finney wanted people to feel the power of Jesus. He had adopted an extreme view
that said Christians could be totally free of sin or be as perfect as their Father in Heaven. During Finney's revivals, it was not uncommon for people to
fall to the floor in fits of excitement. Finney left behind him strong and active churches. Eastern opposition gradually weakened.
During The Second Awakening new religious views were popping up everywhere. The Unitarians believed that the all–powerful, mysterious God was
actually a Deity who was the benevolent master architect of a rational universe. Mormonism also began. Mormonism, also known as the latter Day
Saints, believed that Christ would appear in the New World and that the children of Levi were present in the New World.
With these new religious ideas

What Was The Impact Of The Great Awakening
Throughout the course of human history, religious movements have been a reoccuring theme, from the Chartist movement to the advent of
scientology. They are brought about by a variety of reasons, and no reason is completely determining of how the movement affected the people around
it more than another. By 1763, with the end of the Seven Years' War, liberal political ideas such as republicanism and liberalism were taking root in the
colonists' mind; what these two philosophies shared most in common was that they were breaking away from the conventional political jurisdiction.
Thus, this brought about a wave of anti–secularization in which the already ultra–religious colonists became even more religious in a movement known
as the Great Awakening....show more content...
A key aspect that caused the American Revolution was people not only losing faith in their mother country of England, but not caring to obey the rules
and laws that England imposed upon them, causing a lack of respect for England's authority. This was brought about by the Navigation Acts, but also
by the ideals that were brought about in the Great Awakening. People started becoming more bold and revolutionary, rethinking everything that they
held to be true. There were certain political concepts that criticized the social hierarchies of colonial society, and eventually, this led to criticizing
religious norms, which led to criticizing norms of all kinds, from what religion meant to oneself to how much authority of a government overseas
really possessed over the colonists. However, the Great Awakening, while doing many benefits, also lead to some consequences for certain groups.
The church and its associated clergy became less important as people started to believe that they could rely on their own beliefs. Colonists had their
own religious power right in their hands, rather than in the hands of the Church of England. Traditional authority and everything a colonist took to
believe was true was suddenly being

The Spiritual Movement : The Great Awakening
The spiritual movement called The Great Awakening, beginning in 1734, depicts the reality of the Holy Spirit: that He is alive, active and moving
within the church. Said to be started by Johnathan Edwards and George Whitefield, this movement began, then took hold of Massachusetts, then
Connecticut. In all, thirteen of the colonies would be impacted by the zeal of this movement. Sermons focusing on conversion and being born–again
gave way to many having a relationship with Jesus Christ. In their responses to the gospel, contrition reigned and in their conviction many were moved.
It is said that "Presbyterian minister, John Moorhead, exclaimed in July, 1742, "I can't express the wonderful things which God is adoing, and has
already manifested amongst Indians, Negros, Papists and Protestants of all Denominations."
Emotive responses were common as the movement took hold. Rather than this being an incident of isolated denominational basis, this movement of the
Spirit crossed religious party lines, bypassed pre–conceived notions and changed lives. The beginnings of the Great Awakening did not initially begin
with exuberant preaching. It has been said that Johnathan Edwards and George Whitefield, "the leaders of the Great Awakening were orthodox
Calvinists." This being said, the responses that began to occur amazed these men of faith. Rather than being emotional in their sermon's there was a
great deal of conviction and giving awareness to one's need to be saved. While

Both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening are well known throughout history. The Great Awakening had huge consequences that helped shaped
America. Although the Enlightenment did contribute to the Great Awakening, it had minor consequences. Without the Great Awakening some major
events and changes would've never happened. The American Revolution, different perspectives onreligion, divisions between colonist, new schools
showing up, and more were all outcomes of it. 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.
Moreover, this time period caused many changes to happen in America. One...show more content...
The Enlightenment caused many people to change their religious perspective while other did not. "Old Light" and "New Light" were the two split
groups. "New Light" embraced the revivals going on, while "Old Lights" were not very fond of revivalism. This "warfare" caused Puritism to
disintegrate because their ideal religious uniformity was broken.
Lastly, the significant impact that the Great Awakening had among the colonist was the American Revolution. If the Great Awakening never happened
then so would've the American Revolution. This time period deeply diminished authorities since freedom and resistance against authorities was
embraced by colonists. These traits were a key factor towards the American Revolution. Many believed that despite your social status, you could obtain
God's grace without the guidance of ministers. The surge of this belief generated many to espouse the idealism of individual decision making and
questioning

Essay On The Second Great Awakening
The major changes in American religion that occurred in the early nineteenth century were the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening
was a Christian Revival movement during the early nineteenth century. The movement began around 1800, it had begun to gain momentum from the
1820. With the Second Great Awakening; new religions were established, there were different academic curriculums, a change from the trinity to just
one deity and they would touch on American culture and reform. Three of the new religions that formed during the Second Great Awakening were the
Mormons, the Methodists, and the Baptist. Mormons branched of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints. The Mormons made a powerful
collective unit in terms of...show more content...
The second wave had a social impact, generating popular support for sobriety, the abolishment of slavery, and other social reforms. Before the
reform the schools were small and experienced very limited educational opportunity. The school reform wanted to amend their education system,
which would assist in their children becoming more responsible. Horace Mann of Massachusetts passed the common school movement that caused
public schools to be funded by local property taxes. Horace Man would set a list of six principles for public education: ignorance and freedom will
not be upheld by the citizens, the public should pay for the training, as well controlled and preserved, the schools should accept all children, the
instruction should be nonsectarian, it should be prepared by means of the tenets of a free society, and teachers must be professional and well–groomed.
(Horace Mann Biography, 2016) The alteration from the Trinity of just one God was likewise a section of the Second Great Awakening. A noted
exponent of such reforms was the evangelist Charles G. Finney. In addition to being an innovative evangelist whose techniques others would imitate,
he declared that the Gospel saved people, but likewise it was a means to regenerate society. True to his word, Finney was a fiery abolitionist and
encouraged other Christians to take taken. (The Second Great Awakening,

The Great Awakening Necessary
How did the First Great Awakening bring together all of the American People? Why was the Great Awakening "Necessary" according to the priests? I
believe that the Great Awaking occurred because people were starting to forget about God, praying, the rituals and all their religious side that they
were born believing in. These people desired wealth over the word of God and their religious principles. This tough Awakening brought the spiritual
side back to America. It made Americans see each other the same, not judging one another but seeing eye to eye and not discriminating each other. It
brought faith back to all the believers that thought everything was lost at one point in time. The Great Awakening occurred during 1730 to 1760
heading into...show more content...
I believe that it brings all the people together, by "all" I mean everybody, no matter who they are or from where they are. This Awakening brought
people to see each other as real people, no indifference in each other even if they're from another religion, social class, from another state or a different
race, even if they were slaves they were thought as people that could receive the word of God without a worry to be given. Like Professor Daniel
Dreisbach said in "The Interview", "And yet when we see the Great Awakening, there is a knitting together of the American people. There is a shared
excitement about their faith, their Christianity. They develop a common language. There's a breaking down, to some extent, of the denominational
divides that had separated them as people, and this has the effect of bringing the Americans to a position where they see themselves as Americans as
opposed to Virginians or Georgians or a citizen from Pennsylvania or New York or Massachusetts. ...". (http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/interviews
/daniel–dreisbach.html#1). I love this statement that Mr. Dreisbach said because I believe that what he said is true all the way. That in one point in
life many people questioned themselves about God, their religious beliefs as well as their spiritual side. As well as their connection with the churches
and all these people were just losing faith in everything they used to believe in, it was all just fading away for them. These people started believing
again and gathering faith for what they thought was lost and were brought together by this amazing movement that we call the Great

The Great Awakening was an event that occurred in the early 18th century characterized by fervent and enthusiastic worship in a series of revivals that
spread throughout the American colonies. This event was noted for the growth of the Christian church and the promotion of traditional Puritan views
on the issues of election and salvation. The success of the Great Awakeningrests in the pluralistic, ecumenical, and sociological efforts of men from
various theological backgrounds, yet espousing a unified message of repentance, forgiveness, and hope for the masses. Research available on this
period ranges from 18th century newspapers and letters to current literary criticism of discourse of the period. However, the resources selected for
...show more content...
The other was a promotional effort whereby the printed word served to publicize and reinforce the preached word" (88). Both of these scholars agree
that Whitefield's involvement in the revival is what distinguished this great event from all others.
Just as Gillies and Lambert acknowledge Whitefield's value to the movement, Maxson recognizes the contributions of Whitefield in his dissertation,
The Great Awakening in the Middle Colonies. Whitefield's reputation preceded him and, consequently, many traditional pastors did not extend their
pulpits to him for revival. As a matter of fact, Whitefield found himself shut out of many churches and publicly attacked by many clergymen, yet
Maxson attributes the success of the revival in the Middle colonies to Whitefield's forming an alliance with William Tennent (47). These scholars agree
that George Whitefield, for a number of reasons, was undoubtedly the key factor in the success of the revivals of the Great Awakening.
Although Whitefield is credited with being the leader of the movement, he was certainly not alone in his efforts. He was preceded by a couple of
really strong orators, one of which was Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen of the Dutch Reformed Church. Frelinghuysen's work in New Jersey dates
back as early as 1720, yet his message, like Whitefield and many others of the Awakening,

Second Great Awakening Essay
The Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was an event that took place from the late 1790's and continued on through the 1840's and
had a major impact on the youth during that time period. Here, I will discuss what exactly happened during the Second Great Awakening and how to
affected America during this time, but I will also discuss two figures that were important to this movement, and what exactly they did that made them
so important during this time. The Second Great Awakening was a movement that centered around religious revivals, much like the Great Awakening
that happened before it in the 1740's and 1750's. But, unlike the first Great Awakening, the second Great Awakening would have more youths join than
the first Great Awakening, according to Burg, "Conversion occurred with adolescents as young as 7 to 13, although most of the converts were older
than 13 and the majority were girls" (Burg, 1998). These youths, particularly students, would eventually become inspired to do missionary work, this
trend emerging around 1808. This wish to do missionary work, and particularly missionary work overseas, would eventually lead to the formation to a
new regulatory board, according to Burg, "In response to their request, the association appointed the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions to provide support" (Burg, 1998). But the Second Great Awakening not only sparked religious movements, but it sparked other movements
that are well known today, such

The Enlightenment And The Great Awakening Essay
The Enlightenment was an intellectual and cultural movement that stressed reason, and science. Locke, Newton, and Voltaire used the press to out new
ideas of openness, investigation, and religious tolerance throughout Europe and the Americans (Corbett, Volker, 2017, pg. 106). They thought of it as
dark being replaced by light.
The Great Awakening was Congregationalist, Angelicin, and Presbyterian evangelists rejected formal modes of worship (Corbett, Volker, 2017, pg.
106). They felt that everyone could experience their own salvation. Several Protestant denominations and churches arose from the Great Awakening.
The American Revolution was the British government and the American colonies coming to a breaking point and forming a revolutionary...show more
content...
The Great Awakening caused the New and Old Lights to split. There were outbursts of revivalism. The older Protestant groups declined (Corbett,
Volker, 2017, pg. 106). The Enlightenment caused people to view themselves as citizens. This started the American Revolution which was centered on
government. New colonies were founded, and new documents were formed. Separation of church and state, leadership with the balance of power
between the congregation and preachers were fostered. them their voice and proof of power, which made the American Revolution effective. People
started to understand what freedom was.
In terms of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, I believe that people were seeking freedom to make a choice on how they felt about things
according to how it worked for them. They did not want to feel dominated by others. I feel they wanted to be able to learn and grow. They did not
want to be given a strict doctrine, but have the choice to choose religion.
For me religious freedom means being able to choose who I believe in, and to be able to practice my beliefs openly, and not having to hide. I would
like to have the choice to read the religious book of my choice in public places, to pray in schools, and not to be made to feel guilty because someone
practices another religion.
Concepts that are a hundred years old does have some value today. We still fight for freedom and change. We still want

The First Great Awakening, also known as The Great Awakening, was a religious movement that swept the American colonies in the early 1700s,
leaving a permanent impact on American beliefs and contributing to the kindling of the American Revolution. The Great Awakening's effect in
America started in New England, with the rousing teachings of a preacher named Jonathan Edwards, a Yale minister. He refused to convert to the
Church of England, the major church at the time, since he believed that the Church was growing complacent and the citizens of New England
becoming too absorbed with materialistic goods and principles. He believed that individual experiences were more important than the doctrines of the
Church, and spoke against the Puritan belief that salvation needed to be earned by works. Instead, he preached that salvation was already offered to
those who believed. George Whitfield, a British minister, also played a pivotal role in the spread of the Great Awakening, especially to the Middle and
Southern colonies. He toured the...show more content...
Individuals had to ensure their salvation by having a personalized relationship with the Lord instead of just doing good works in the hope of going to
heaven. The thought was that the Pope was human and could make errors, but the Scriptures were infallible. As such, obeying the Lord was more
important than obeying the Pope or the king, and the colonists themselves looked into the scriptures and read about the basic human rights that were
granted by God – and often withheld by the monarchy. Believers of this new doctrine were called New Light Worshipers. Old Light Worshipers such
as Puritans, Anglicans, and Calvinists, which originally made up the religious majority, decreased as New Light beliefs, such as Evangelism and
Modernism, became more

The Great Awakening Research Paper
The main outcome of the Awakening was a resistance in contrast to spiritual law which leaked into different zones of colonial life. In spite of the fact
that a religious development, the Awakening had ramifications in social and political circles also. Traditions of thoughtfulness and obligingness, the
overseeing standards of life in the colonies, were put aside for a more difficult stage. The Great Awakening is generally partitioned into four times of
American history. The initially happened while America was still a part of the English settlements. Such religious masterminds as Jonathan Edwards
and George Whitfield urged a scholarly method to scripture. Amid this period, the houses of worship in the colonies were still particularly fixing

Analysis: The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a problem because it caused change and disrupted the everyday way of life in that time. It caused other religions to be
suppressed and monitored on its behalf, so the church of England could fully prosper and spread. The Great Awakening taught the gospel in a very
aggressive manner. It did unify people being they could only practice one religion but it was very out of touch with the ways religion had been taught
before it. As the article, The First Great Awakening said, it was a "Revitalization of religious piety." (Page 1) Clergyman opposed and did not agree to
this new radical way of teaching the gospel questioned the ways of these newfound preachers.

Great Awakenings And The Great Awakenings
Religions, its beginning, practices, beliefs, or definition, though interesting remain challenging for any one individual to comprehend. Religions
develop from humans for humans either on an individual level or a collective one. Moreover, the development of religions by individuals which has
continued for centuries further complicate matters, yet they cease to exist and continue to reinvent or transform people and society. Throughout the
history of America, religions encountered many fluctuations, some which produced tensions others produced reforms that would benefit society. An
interesting piece lies within the experience of the Great Awakenings, both the first and second with each stimulating innovative ideas and motivating
America's population in large numbers. Each of the Great Awakenings experienced some success and disappointments, but overall paved the way for
developing and executing much needed reforms. From their inception, the Great Awakenings thrived across America and is apparent that the impact
stood remarkable for its time which resulted in many significant reforms.
The First Great Awakeningduring the eighteenth century defines a movement which shaped American life through a series of revivals. The Great
Awakening emerged as America experienced substantial population growth. As a result, there existed a need to fulfill the religious needs of the recent
exploding population. During this time, there were limited church's and ministers and the shortages

The Great Awakengs: The Great Awakening
The great awakening was a devoted religious revival movement in the 1720s through the 1740s that was spread throughout the colonies by ministers. It
inspired ordinary citizen to assert their right to independent judgment by allowing them to make their own decisions about their religion and personal
lives. The great awakening sparked people to stand up for what they believed in; their religion. It inspired ordinary citizens to stand up against the
authority so that they could basically have freedom of religion.

I do think something like the Great Awakening could occur today. The Great Awakening was a significant religious movement that apprised the minds
of colonists in aspects of religious faith and belief, liberty, equality, and self–reliance. They based ideas on new lights and old lights, concerning the
change in faith of churches. For example, Nathanael Henchman was a minister in Lynn, Massachusetts. He blamed George Whitefield for breaking up
all of New England's churches and "declared that George Whitefield is a dangerous man, harmful to the religion of Jesus Christ." The excerpt from
Henchman's letter expresses his perspective as a Congregationalist (Old Lights) who stated Whitefield's revivals to influence the people and stop peace
and

Great Awakening Essay

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Great Awakening Essay