APUSH Great Awakenings

APUSH Great Awakenings

First Great Awakening (1730s & 1740s)

Causes

• Religious Complacency: A general sense of satisfaction with existing religious practices led to a decline in religious zeal.
• Influence of Rationalism & Enlightenment: New intellectual currents emphasizing reason and individual thought challenged traditional religious authority.
• Discontent over Economic & Social Status in Church: People felt that their position in the church was unfairly influenced by their economic and social standing.
• Charismatic Preachers: The emergence of dynamic and passionate preachers drew large crowds and stirred religious fervor.

People

• Jonathan Edwards: A prominent preacher known for his fiery sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which emphasized the severity of sin and the necessity of seeking God's grace.
• George Whitefield: An influential evangelist who traveled extensively, preaching heartfelt messages about personal conversion to crowds as large as 10,000 people. His travels helped spread the Great Awakening throughout the colonies.

Effects

• Competition Between Old Lights vs. New Lights
  • Old Lights: Traditionalist clergy and their followers, including Anglicans, Catholics, and Congregationalists, who opposed the revivalist movement.
  • New Lights: Revivalist preachers and their followers, including Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians, who embraced the emotional and personal aspects of religious experience.
• New Denominations Formed: The Great Awakening led to the creation of new religious groups, like the Baptists & Methodists, as people sought more individualized and emotional religious experiences.
• Influenced Colonial Society: The Great Awakening inspired a sense of religious passion and community, shaping early American culture and fostering a shared identity.
• First Shared Experience by all 13 Colonies: It was one of the first events that all 13 colonies experienced together, contributing to a sense of shared identity and unity.
• Contributed to Democratic Principles: The questioning of religious authority encouraged individualism and independent thinking.
• Questioning of Religious authority led to questioning of British Imperial Authority: Encouraged individualism and dissent, contributing to the questioning of British authority and fostering a spirit of independence that would later fuel the American Revolution.

Second Great Awakening (1790s to 1830s)

Causes

• Continued Religious Decline: A perceived decline in religious adherence and fervor following the American Revolution.
• Industrialization and Urbanization: The rapid growth of cities and factories led to social changes and anxieties that prompted religious revival.
• Moral Decay: Concerns about increasing immorality and social problems in a rapidly changing society.
• Individualism & Democratic Ideals: The emphasis on individual choice and democratic participation influenced religious practices and beliefs.
• Desire for Personal Religious Experience: People sought more personal and emotional connections with God, moving away from formal and traditional religious practices.

People

• Charles Grandison Finney: A preacher who worked in the "Burned-Over District" of New York, a region known for its intense religious revivals and numerous conversions.
• Lyman Beecher: A preacher and reformer known for his efforts to combat alcoholism and promote social reforms, reflecting the social activism inspired by the Second Great Awakening.
• Joseph Smith: The founder of the Mormon Church in New York in 1830, a new religious movement that emerged during the Second Great Awakening.

Effects

• Increased church attendance for Baptist, Methodist, & Presbyterian Churches: These denominations emphasized personal conversion and emotional worship, attracting large numbers of new members.
• New Denominations Formed: The Second Great Awakening led to the creation of new religious groups, like the Seventh Day Adventists & Mormon Church, expanding religious diversity and competition.
• Expanded Reform Movements: It was closely linked to various social reform efforts, such as abolitionism and women's rights, as religious fervor translated into activism.
• Increased Religious Diversity: Greater acceptance of different beliefs and religious practices, contributing to a more pluralistic society.
• Influenced Education: The Second Great Awakening fueled the growth of educational institutions and shaped American intellectual life, as various denominations founded colleges and seminaries to train ministers and promote their beliefs.
• Affected Westward Expansion: Revivalist fervor spread to new territories, establishing churches and communities on the frontier and shaping the social and moral landscape of the American West.