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Personal Gardens and Work Conditions

  • Garden Labor

    • Some individuals engage in garden work on Sundays or holidays for wages.

Overview of Universalism and Skepticism

  • Skepticism and Doubt

    • Refers to a movement among Harvard intellectual circles.

  • Universalism

    • Belief that salvation is available to all, not restricted to a select few.

    • Asserts that God would not universally condemn anyone to hell.

The Second Great Awakening

  • Religious Revival

    • Similarity to the first great awakening nearly a century prior (18th century).

    • Characterized by a rejection of unbridled lust in the absence of religion.

  • Growth of Religion

    • From 1780, there were significant increases in attendance and participation in religious activities.

    • The simple message: salvation is for everyone through the acceptance of Jesus as savior.

Camp Meetings and Frontier Revivals

  • Camp Meetings

    • Large outdoor gatherings for religious fervor, often involving spontaneous preaching.

  • Traveling Evangelists

    • Notable figures included

    • Jumping Jesus

    • Crazy Dow

    • Mad Isaac

    • Engaged frontier people in personal conversions and fostering a sense of community.

    • Attendance numbers reached approximately 10,000 at camp meetings, emphasizing diversity across races and classes.

  • Atmosphere of Services

    • High-energy atmosphere with emotional responses during sermons, marked by exclamations like "Amen" and "Lord have mercy."

    • Not universally accepted or appreciated; contrasted with Puritan beliefs.

Baptist Movement

  • Key Beliefs

    • Baptists advocated for the concept of universal salvation.

    • Strict adherence to the literal truth of every word in the Bible - known as religious fundamentalism.

  • Figures in the Movement

    • Francis Asbury: Prophet who traveled the Ohio Valley preaching, covering 15 states, impacting thousands.

Role of African Americans in Religious Revivals

  • African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church

    • Black congregants engaged heavily in the revival spirit.

  • Influential Figures

    • Yirena Lee: The first woman allowed to preach in the AME Church.

    • Notable quote: "If the man may preach because the savior died for him."

    • She walked 12 miles daily for evangelism and preached 178 sermons over 2,325 miles.

    • Phoebe Worrall Palmer: Significant female figure recognized for her evangelistic efforts.

Social Changes During Revivals

  • Women's Empowerment

    • Camp meetings provided women opportunities for social equality, allowing them to serve as parishioners and preachers.

  • Religion and Reform Movements

    • The Second Great Awakening fueled various reform movements, advocating for causes such as:

      • Alcoholism

      • Prostitution

      • War

      • Slavery

    • The intertwining of religious duty and social activism emphasized personal responsibility for moral betterment.

Challenges Faced by New Religious Movements

  • Persecution of Mormons

    • For 15 years, anti-Mormon sentiments resulted in harassment of Joseph Smith and followers due to apprehension over new scriptures and prophets.

Romantic Movement

  • Themes

    • Emphasized moods, feelings, and individual impressions as essential aspects of life.

    • A counter-movement to rationalism, asserting that not everything can be explained by science.

  • Transcendentalism

    • Focused on individual spiritual insights obtainable without clergy; a connection with nature was vital.

    • Reality encompasses more than just the physical - intuition was highly valued.

Key Figures in Transcendentalism

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

    • A preeminent speaker in mid-19th century America.

    • Advocated nonconformity as a path to individuality and godlike potential.

    • Published works:

    • Nature (1836): Advocated for discovering the spirit that animates the universe.

    • Self-Reliance (1841): Encouraged living according to one's conscience.

  • Henry David Thoreau

    • Resided in a cabin near Emerson's land in Walden, focusing on simplicity and natural living.

    • Notable writings:

    • Walden: A reflection on simple living amidst nature.

    • Civil Disobedience: Stated, "If the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be an agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law."