Second Great Awakening

Overview of the Second Great Awakening

• The Second Great Awakening is a religious revival that had a significant impact on the religious landscape of the United States, spanning from the late 18th century through the mid-19th century.

• It follows the First Great Awakening and is characterized by a shift in religious beliefs and church popularity, moving away from strict Calvinist doctrines towards more Arminian views emphasizing free will and individual salvation.

• This period saw widespread emotional preaching, tent revivals, and large camp meetings, which were crucial to its success and appeal.

• Core belief: Good works earn salvation, reflecting a more optimistic view of human nature and the ability to achieve personal redemption and societal improvement.

Key References

• First Great Awakening: Historical context wherein the earlier religious revival marked the beginning of religious enthusiasm in America, setting a precedent for widespread religious movements.

• Significant ties to other social movements, as personal conversion often led to a desire for social reform. These included:

  • Temperance movement: Encouraged abstinence from alcohol, seen as a moral imperative for individual and societal improvement.

  • Women's rights movement (e.g., women's suffrage): Women played a vital role in church activities and benevolent societies, which empowered them to organized public calls for their own rights.

  • Abolition movement: The emphasis on individual moral agency and human dignity fueled strong anti-slavery sentiments, viewing slavery as a grave sin.

Contributing Factors to the Second Great Awakening

• Enlightenment Influence:

  • The Enlightenment period emphasizes natural rights and the right to overthrow unjust governments, laying a foundation for revolutionary beliefs. This fostered an intellectual climate where individuals felt empowered to challenge established religious norms and seek personal spiritual understanding.

  • A move from rational thought towards emotional and spiritual beliefs began in the early 1800s, leading to an increase in individualistic beliefs where personal conversion and religious experience took precedence over intellectual dogma.

• Market Revolution:

  • Development of transportation (e.g., Erie Canal) facilitated the spread of revivalist preachers and religious literature across vast distances, connecting disparate communities.

  • Economic shifts with the North becoming more industrial while the South remained agricultural, contributing to social anxieties and a desire for moral order and stability, which religion often provided.

• Westward Expansion:

  • Migration away from traditional churches, leading to a decline in congregational churches associated with British heritage and a rise in new denominations that were more adaptable and less formal, appealing to frontier settlers.

• Empowerment of New Churches:

  • The expansion led to significant growth in Methodism and Baptism, known for their itinerant preachers and democratic organization, as well as the emergence of new religious groups such as the Mormons, who offered unique visions of community and salvation.

Romanticism and the American West

• Romantic movement celebrated the American West as a land of beauty and opportunity, intertwining with the spiritual quest for personal freedom and connection with the divine through nature.

• Influential writers and artists, such as:

  • Walt Whitman

  • Herman Melville

  • Edgar Allan Poe

• The romantic view of nature and land, especially uncharted territories, fueled migration and a quest for a better life, often imbued with spiritual significance.

• Increased literacy and access to literature fostered appreciation for these Romantic ideals, allowing more people to engage with and internalize these themes.

Urbanization and Its Impacts

• Urbanization:

  • Defined as the growth and development of cities, which brought about new social challenges like poverty, crime, and anonymity.

  • Industrialization and immigration played significant roles in shaping society during this time period, creating diverse populations and social tensions.

  • Pushback against urban life led to counter-movements like transcendentalism, which sought spiritual and individual solace away from the perceived corruption and materialism of city life.

Transcendentalism Explained

• A movement that grew out of Romanticism advocating for self-reliance and individualism, emphasizing intuitive thought and the inherent goodness of people and nature.

• Key Definitions:

  • Reason: Individuals’ innate ability to grasp beauty and truth through personal instincts and emotions, often linked to the divine "Oversoul"—a universal spirit connecting all beings.

  • Understanding: Preconditions imposed by external learning; more logical or scientific approach, which transcendentalists often viewed as superficial compared to Reason.

• Major Figures:

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson:

  • Promoted cultural independence and the rejection of societal conformity, encouraging individuals to listen to their inner voice.

  • Believed many lost their individualism working repetitive jobs in the burgeoning industrial economy.

  • Henry David Thoreau:

  • Advocated for a simple life of connection with nature, famously living at Walden Pond to demonstrate self-sufficiency and communion with the natural world.

  • Introduced the concept of civil disobedience through his essay "Resistance to Civil Government," questioning materialism and governmental authority in society.

Utopian Communities

• Utopian experiments arose from dissatisfaction with modern capitalist society, attempting to create communal living arrangements based on shared ideals and cooperation.

• Examples include:

  • Brook Farm:

  • A communal living experiment in Massachusetts that emphasized shared goods and services without currency, aiming to combine manual labor with intellectual pursuits and foster social harmony.

  • Oneida Community:

  • Practiced radical ideas concerning marriage, advocating for "complex marriage" where all men and women were married to each other, aiming to eliminate monogamous possessiveness. They also achieved economic success through manufacturing.

  • Shakers:

  • Celibate religious group that believed in complete community sharing and equality between genders. Members lived communally, dedicating themselves to religious observance and productive labor.

  • Emphasized craftsmanship and divine work through daily labor as worship, known for their simple, elegant furniture and architecture.

Decline of Shakers and Utopian Experiments

• As modernization progressed, many Shakers and other communal societies suffered from:

  • Industrial allure drawing young people away from their agrarian lifestyles and strict communal rules towards opportunities in growing cities.

  • Changing societal views on sex and marriage, which made celibacy difficult to uphold in attracting new members, as traditional family growth was absent.

  • Difficulty maintaining membership as they relied on adopting orphans instead of traditional family growth and birthrates.

The Mormons

• Founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith in Upstate New York, the LDS movement arose amidst the religious ferment of the time, positing new scriptures (the Book of Mormon) and a restoration of primitive Christianity.

• Notable for the practice of polygamy (or plural marriage), which was divisive even among early members and led to significant persecution, ultimately prompting their migration westward to Utah under Brigham Young's leadership.

Conclusion and General Implications

• The Second Great Awakening prompted profound shifts in religious thought, contributed to the rise of new denominations emphasizing individual experience and democratic organization, and stimulated crucial social reform movements.

• It embodied the tensions between individualism and communal identity, leading to various cultural experiments and reflecting the larger societal changes of the 19th century, profoundly shaping American values and institutions.