The Great Awakening

The First Awakening: Colonial Changes

Many reasons were used to encourage an ever-growing population in England to migrate west to America.  For many, the possibility of religious freedom was enough to convince them to make the arduous journey.  Entire families left England and headed west across the Atlantic.  Small communities were formed based on one set of beliefs or another and these small towns flourished.  From time to time, the novelty of religious freedom wore off; Christians became complacent and no longer felt it necessary to be wholesome and righteous.  These same complacencies triggered major religious changes that would soon reconstruct the way of life in America.  A Great Awakening would forever change the religious infrastructure found throughout the colonies.  

For years, colonists complained about how conventional churches had lost touch with what was important (Divine et al, 99 – 100).  The people of America were looking for a change and during the mid 1730s change is exactly what people received.  Jonathon Edwards, a minister from western Massachusetts, spoke out against his congregation’s non-Calvinistic beliefs and as a result he preached a sermon that would soon spark the fire of the Awakening (Divine et al, 100).  Soon the patterns of revival would spread across what was once known as the Massachusetts Bay colony and even further south towards Connecticut.  The affects of the Great Awakening would also spread to areas in the mid-Atlantic area as well as in the southern colonies. 

Jonathon Edwards not only sparked the fire, he would also be responsible for spreading the fire.  Throughout Massachusetts, he would hold revivals in which he would spread the word of God in Calvinistic overtones.  Telling people they were predestined by God’s will to either live eternal life in heaven or be damned to an eternity of servitude in hell (Divine et al, 100).  Edwards’ use of fear tactics certainly woke people from their stagnation; people by the hundreds soon began returning to church.  In part, these people wanted to hear Edwards’ sermons and for others the hope of redemption was possibly the reason for the sudden interest in religion.  Whatever the cause of this sudden and deliberate return to religion, the outcome was certain to be a positive one.

The Great Awakening’s survival was dependent on two things, the revivals, and those who supplied the voices for the revivals.  Men like Jonathon Edwards who held the reputation as a brilliant theologian, was the first to supply his voice for the revivals (Spohn, 394).  Next, was George Whitefield who’s ability to present a sermon made people like Jonathon Edwards take notice (Spohn 394).  George Whitefield had the ability to draw crowds in great numbers.  In fact, on one particular occasion in Connecticut he drew such a large crowd that “over one thousand horses” were counted outside Whitefield’s revival (McGill, 2).  This became a common occurrence when Whitefield preached.  Finally, there was Daniel Rogers who believed there would be no discrimination with God (Kidd, 111).  Rogers traveled with George Whitefield for a short period and he too was drawn to Whitefield’s ability to draw crowds and keep people’s attention (Kidd, 114).  However, their relationship was not destined to last; Rogers had a different belief system than Whitefield.  Rogers believed that no matter what color, age, social status, or gender a person should be allowed to assemble, speak, and listen to each other (Kidd, 111-112).  Unfortunately, this thought process did not gain Rogers many friends above the poor people rungs of the social ladder.

Life was beginning to change between social classes, although race, age, and gender were more than likely going to remain the same for many years.  Some religious division still existed but soon this too would pass.  The Great Awakening was the realization that people could join for a common goal.  Neighboring towns were meeting to hear these remarkable men – Jonathon Edwards, George Whitefield, and Daniel Rogers – speak about heaven, God, and all of God’s glory.  The reaction by the people was more than unexpected.  Many articles, reviews, and journals have described the events that took place during the revivals as almost surreal events (Bearskin, 684).  People were so awestruck by the events that many started to have seizures while others in attendance would yell out and make sounds (Bearskin, 684).  These reactions seemed to be commonplace at most of the revivals (McGill, 2).

The changes taking place throughout the Americas were noticed by many people throughout the world.  Traditional ministers or “Old Lights” as they were also known as noticed the immediate effects of the new religious movement (McGill, 2 and Divine et al, 101).  In some cases, the older ministers feared their conventional ways would soon be replaced (McGill, 2 and Divine et al, 101).  The traditional ministers wanted the new religious changes to fail and eventually return to the “Old Lights” way of church life.  Eventually lines of division were beginning to form within the new religious movement.  One major issue was that of unconditional social freedom ideals to which Daniel Rogers was known for.  Never before had African Americans, women, and children been given so much social freedom as was given to them by Daniel Rogers (Kidd, 122).  Each group was allowed to speak to each other as though they were equal to white men (Kidd, 121).  This type of dissention in the ranks never occurred prior to the Revolutionary War and was not well received (Kidd, 121). 

Religious unity was not the only positive side effect to the awakening.  In the wake of the religious movement, places for higher education were established; Universities such as “Princeton, Brown, Rutgers and Dartmouth, were [all] established to encourage the new religious ideas [of the Great Awakening]” (McGill, 2 and Divine et al, 101).  Newfound assertiveness and religious idealisms were other positive results of the Great Awakening.  Newfound assertiveness amongst the new congregation allowed for people to stand up and speak against church authorities (Divine et al, 102).  African Americans could find some solace and freedom within the period of revival because in sermons, some revivalists would preach that slavery and having a slave was a sin (Devine et al, 102).  Even hearing it was a sin to have slaves or to support slavery was enough to make people set slaves free.  This is another example of how fear was used to motivate people into doing what was right and wrong, in the eyes of the evangelists. 

The Great Awakening has been described as “a series of religious revivals that swept across the Anglo - American world during the middle decades of the eighteenth century” (Bearskin, 684).  This definition of the Great Awakening should be debated; even though there seemed to be a battle waging against the established churches and the evangelists touring the eastern seaboard, more than what is seen here was starting to change.  People were starting to see a combined effort between unapproachable lines of religious beliefs (Divine et al, 99).  In some cases, race, age, and gender were no longer barriers to make one feel inferior.  In other ways, these revivals inadvertently showed Americans just how easy it was to come together for a common goal.  It is possible to see how more than religious freedoms were born during this era, the thin lines of democracy were being drawn.  With lines crossed and the barriers of religious commonality in place, Americans were ready for the future when once again people would come together for a common goal, independence.        

             

  

 

Work Cited

 

 

Bearskin, Douglas L. "Jonathan Edwards, Enthusiast? Radical Revivalism and the Great Awakening in the Connecticut Valley." Church History 74.4 (Dec. 2005): 683-739. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. 23 Jan. 2009

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Divine, Robert, A.,  et al.  The American Story Third Edition.  New York: Longman, 2007.

 

Kidd, Thomas S. "Daniel Rogers' Egalitarian Great Awakening." Journal of the Historical Society (1529921X) 7.1 (2007): 111-135. Academic Search Premier. 30 January 2009. http://search.epnet.com.

 

McGill, Sara, A.  Great Awakening.  11. Great Neck Publishing, 2000. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. 22 Jan. 2009                                       ://search.ebscohost.cm/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=3355975&site=ehost-live>.

 

Spohn, William C. "SOVEREIGN BEAUTY: JONATHON EDWARDS AND THE NATURE OF TRUE VIRTUE ." Theological Studies 42.3 (Sep. 1981): 394-421. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 24 Jan. 2009 .