The First Great Awakening And The Age Of Enlightenment

During the period in English colonial history where the frameworks for democratic societies were forming, specifically the years between 1607 and 1765, two events had massive influence over said development: the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. The Enlightenment gave way to the kinds of rationale that would later spark the American Revolution and the Great Awakening would give the inspire American citizens to question their authorities and how fit they were to rule.

The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment were two historical events that shaped the thoughts of people and religion in America. The most important factor in both of these events is the common theme of reason behind the movements. The Great Awakening began about the 1930's and reached its climax ten years later in 1740. What exactly was the Great Awakening? It was a wave of religion revivals sweeping through New England that increased conversions and church membership. The beginnings of the Great Awakening were in Pennsylvania and New Jersey among Presbyterians and then spread to the Puritans and Baptists of New England. They were encouraged to confess sins done freely to the church in order to receive forgiveness. This whole movement was

The Great Awakening brought together provinces, and furthermore acknowledgment of religious resilience. These two periods of the eighteenth century greatly affected American culture and how individuals think previously, then after these movemments. The Enlightenment changed individuals' view on legislative issues, religion, and human instinct, and The Great Awakening acknowledged religious resilience. Enlightenment for the most part affected instructed individuals in the American states. Even though the Enlightenment initially started in Europe, it spread to America. The Great Awakening brought assorted variety; it was caused by reestablishment of religion after many individuals in the provinces moved in the opposite direction of religion. The Great Awakening conveyed Christianity to individuals who strayed away from

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jonathan Edwards, a Congregationalist minister in western Massachusetts, who was shocked at the dissipating religious spirit, believing that people were giving up to sinful pleasures. He worked against the secularization of the Enlightenment and focus on pushing the emotional side of religion by expressing the wonderful nature of Heaven and the horror of Hell, helping to renew intensity behind religion. This idea of Heaven and Hell was stated in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, intended to scare people into looking for salvation, with descriptions of people being held over a fire in Hell. This is expressive of the change of social norms in Puritan New England, where going to the Minister’s house as opposed to the Tavern was acceptable. This also shows the more individualized ideals people had, for they were presented with the option of achieving their own salvation and take responsibility for their lives, having the option of maintaining a personal connection with God. (ch 3 txtbk)

The Awakening was a revival movement that purified religion for many individuals, leaving a lasting impact and one that was highly significant in the lives of the Colonists. It contained historical leaders that would help carry the Awakening to where it was supposed to be, leading into the birth of attitudes for a revolution. The Great Awakening was critical in shaping the eighteenth century colonial world and created a road for a revolution that would dramatically transform individuals and their

They had many important supporters, but a vital one who sparked it, was Jonathan Edwards who was “the Yale minister who refused to convert to the Church of England, became concerned that New Englanders were becoming far too concerned with worldly matters” (U.S History 7b.). Because many people value wealth more than John Calvin's religious principles, Edward became livid and asserted that “‘God was an angry judge, and humans were sinners!’” (U.S History 7b.). Many people refused to listen to him, which caused Edward to spark The Great Awakening. Later in the 1740’s when George Whitefield a “a minister from Britain who toured the American colonies” (U.S History 7b.), started to express his religion perspective with sorrowness and pettiness, which magnetize the audience’s narrow mind and captivate them to hear him. His words were so captivating, he was able to “converted slaves and even a few Native Americans. Even religious skeptic Benjamin Franklin emptied his coin purse after hearing him speak in Philadelphia” (U.S History 7b). The Great Awakening was a vital event which helped all Americans to search for their religious freedom. It was the first event that all the colonies could share and worship cohesively, but it also caused political

of religon. More people came to church for the worship of god from their heart.

The First Great Awakening in the British Colonies found its way across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe around 1730-1740s, and it had a profound impact on the course of the colonies, especially during the latter half of the Eighteenth Century, as they became independent from King George III’s tyranny. The Great Awakening was a movement rooted in spiritual growth in which it brought a new national identity that swept through the Puritans in Colonial America. Certain Puritans at time began to disassociate themselves with the established approach to worship which led to a general decline of church goers in the British Colonies, and during the Great Awakening many ministers adopted instead a New Light approach in which was characterized by great

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 theories proposed by the Enlightenment produced doubt of King’s ultimate authority as well as interpretations of God’s word. The colonials began to believe in their right to discover aspects of their world and religion on their own term, not as their duty to the King. Nash also argues that the Awakening nurtured a subtle change in values that translated into daily life. The “revival experience” being shared in “New Light” churches created a feeling of self-worth among the people that gave them the confidence to take responsibility in religious affairs and question traditional authority (Nash 64). The new sense of independence, brought by the Great Awakening, gave the colonists the idea of “self-authority” and the ability to make choices against the predetermined laws set upon them by British rule. In turn, they distanced themselves from the Britons through the mutation of their personal beliefs. Similarly, the Enlightenment gave the colonists a feeling of individual power. Brinkley states, “…the Enlightenment encouraged men and women to look to themselves-not to God-for guidance as to how to live their lives and shape society. Enlightenment