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4.10 The Second Great Awakening

5 min readjanuary 11, 2023

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Robby May

Robby May

S

Sally Kim

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Robby May

Robby May

S

Sally Kim

The was a religious revival movement that occurred in the United States in the early 19th century. It began around 1790, peaked in the 1820s and 1830s, and ended in the late 1840s. The movement was characterized by a renewed interest in Christianity and an increase in church membership, particularly among and . Many new religious denominations were formed during this time, and the influence of the established churches declined.

Change in Beliefs

People began to believe that ordinary people should have a say in the government. They extended this idea into churches, and ministers now had to appeal to everyone else as their success depended on how much they appealed.

Calvinist (Puritan) teachings of and had been rejected by believers in more liberal and forgiving doctrines such as those of the .

  • is the doctrine that holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind's first parents (Adam and Eve). The doctrine of holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the Fall, and people are powerless to rehabilitate themselves unless rescued by God.

  • is about God being in control of all that happens through history, including his choice of saving some people for himself, while allowing others to go their own way along the path of sin.

Emotional religious experiences became important because the caused their work and economic relationships to become less personal.

Charles Grandison Finney

, the best-known preacher of the , taught that sin was voluntary. He rejected the traditional Calvinist doctrine of and believed everyone had the power to become perfect and free of sin. This emphasis on human choice and responsibility, rather than divine , helped to make Finney's preaching particularly appealing to people who were seeking greater control over their own spiritual destinies.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-9ncqkRIAgRUN.jpg?alt=media&token=21d48c90-4f72-4095-9e6f-232ece8a7fd9

Image Courtesy of Connecticut History

Finney also advocated for social reform; he spoke against slavery and for woman's rights. He also saw that women could help convert their husbands and fathers.

He sought instantaneous conversions through a variety of new and controversial methods:

  • Holding protracted meetings that lasted all night or several days in a row. 

  • Placing an “” in front of the congregation where those in the process of repentance could receive special attention

  • Encouraged women to pray publicly for the souls of male relatives. 

  • Sometimes listeners fell to the floor in fits of excitement.

The Legacy of the Second Great Awakening

Religiously, the led to a significant increase in church membership and the formation of new religious denominations. It also led to a more emotional and individualized approach to religion, as opposed to the more formal and intellectual approach of the previous era. This emphasis on personal religious experience would continue to shape American Christianity for decades to come and would influence the development of various new religious movements, like the Pentecostal and the .

The also touched on social reforms. This is how it differs from the first Great Awakening 100 years earlier, which focused on bringing people back to the church. Activist religious groups provided both the leadership and the well-organized voluntary societies that drove the reform movements of the antebellum period such as abolition, temperance, etc. Many of the leaders of these social reform movements were also religious leaders, and they used their pulpits to promote their causes.

Additionally, the led to the creation of many new colleges and universities, which helped to promote education and literacy in the United States. This led to an expansion of the middle class and helped to create a more educated and informed citizenry.

Baptists and Methodists

During the , both the Baptist and Methodist denominations experienced significant growth.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/1839-meth.jpg

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

In the South on the western frontier, Baptist and Methodist circuit preachers, such as , would travel from one location to another and attract thousands to hear their dramatic preaching at outdoor revivals or .

Highly emotional were usually organized by or . In the southern backcountry, it was difficult to sustain local churches with regular ministers. The solved the problem with .

The growth of these two denominations during the helped to shift the religious landscape of the United States, as membership in traditional churches like the and the began to decline.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

of Palmyra, New York was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1830, he revealed that he had received, over many years, a series of revelations that called upon him to establish Christ’s pure church on Earth.

He published the , a scripture in which he claimed to have discovered and translated with the aid of an angel. Basically, the covers the following: 

  • It was the record of a community of Jews who left the Holy Land six centuries before the birth of Christ and sailed to the American continent. 

  • After his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ appeared to this community and proclaimed the Gospel.

  • 400 years later, a civil war in the group annihilated the believing Christians but not all the descendants of the original Jewish migrants. 

  • One of those survivors contributed to the ancestry of the American Indians. 

Smith and those who converted to the faith were committed to restoring the pure religion that thrived on American soil by founding a western Zion where they could practice their faith and carry out their mission to convert Indians. 

In the 1830s, Mormons established communities in Ohio and Missouri. The one in Ohio went bankrupt and then later was the target of angry mobs. Smith led his followers back across the Mississippi to Illinois where he received a charter from the state legislature. 

Smith then reported new revelations that caused hostility from neighboring people. The most controversial was the authorization of polygamy. In 1844, Smith was killed by a mob while being held in jail.

In 1845, Smith's successor, , decided to send a party of 1500 men to assess the chance of a colony in the vicinity of the . In 1846, 12,000 Mormons took to the trail. Young arrived in Salt Lake and sent word back on the trail that he had found the promised land.

The main focus of this key topic, as outlined by the College Board Course and Description, is to understand the causes of the : "The rise of democratic and individualistic beliefs, a response to rationalism, and changes to society caused by the , along with greater social and geographical mobility, contributed to a among Protestants."

Key Terms to Review (24)

Abolition Movement

: The Abolition Movement was a social and political push for immediate emancipation of all slaves and ending racial discrimination and segregation in America during 18th & 19th centuries.

Anxious Bench

: The anxious bench was an innovation by Charles Grandison Finney during religious revivals where those who were experiencing intense emotional anxiety over their eternal fate could come forward and receive prayers from others.

Baptists

: Baptists are Christians who believe in 'believer's baptism', meaning that only individuals who profess faith in Christ should be baptized. This baptism is usually done by full immersion in water.

Book of Mormon

: The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2200 BC to AD 421.

Brigham Young

: Brigham Young was an American religious leader, politician, and settler who became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) after Joseph Smith’s death. He led his followers, known as Mormons, westward to what would become Utah Territory.

Calvinist Teachings

: Calvinist teachings are based on the theological doctrines advanced by John Calvin, a French theologian. These include predestination (the idea that God has already decided who will be saved) and total depravity (the concept that humanity is inherently sinful).

Camp Meetings

: These were religious revival meetings that took place in the frontier regions of the United States during the early 19th century. They were characterized by enthusiastic preaching, emotional responses from attendees, and lasted several days.

Charles Grandison Finney

: Charles Grandison Finney was a prominent American preacher during the Second Great Awakening in the 19th century. He is known for his innovative revivalist techniques, which included the "anxious bench" and public prayer.

Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

: This is a Christian restorationist church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Members believe it to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ and often refer to themselves as Latter-day Saints or Mormons.

Circuit Riders

: These were clergy in the Methodist Episcopal Church and related denominations who were assigned to travel around specific geographic territories to minister to settlers and organize congregations.

Congregationalists

: Members of a Christian movement characterized by a system where each local church congregation governs its own affairs. It's most common in Protestant churches, particularly those with Puritan roots.

Great Salt Lake

: The Great Salt Lake is a large saltwater lake in northern Utah, United States. It's the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most saline bodies of water in the world.

Holiness Movement

: The Holiness Movement was a religious movement in the 19th century United States, emphasizing the belief in a personal, second work of grace leading to Christian perfection or 'entire sanctification'.

Joseph Smith

: An American religious leader and founder of Mormonism. In 1830, he published The Book of Mormon and established what is now known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Market Revolution

: The Market Revolution refers to the period in 19th-century American history when an agrarian society of small producers evolved into an industrialized nation of consumers.

Methodists

: Methodism is a group of historically related denominations within Protestant Christianity which derive their doctrine of practice and belief from the life and teachings of John Wesley. They emphasize an individual's personal relationship with God through faith.

Original Sin

: Original sin is a Christian belief that humans inherit a tainted nature and proclivity to sin through the fact of birth. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt.

Pentecostal Movement

: The Pentecostal movement is a Christian religious movement that emphasizes direct personal experience with God through baptism with the Holy Spirit, as shown by speaking in tongues and healing miracles.

Peter Cartwright

: Peter Cartwright was a famous Methodist revivalist in the 19th century, known for his energetic and passionate preaching during the Second Great Awakening. He also served as a circuit rider, traveling to spread Methodism across America.

Predestination

: Predestination is a religious doctrine that asserts the divine foreordaining of all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not others. It has been particularly associated with the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo and of Calvin.

Presbyterians

: Presbyterians are a group of Protestant Christians who follow the religious traditions and doctrines established by the Reformation-era theologian John Calvin. They believe in a form of church governance led by assemblies of elders, or presbyters.

Second Great Awakening

: The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States, characterized by enthusiastic preaching and widespread revival meetings.

Temperance Movement

: The Temperance Movement was a social movement against consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants sought to reduce alcohol consumption or eliminate it altogether through legislation or persuasion.

Unitarian Church

: The Unitarian Church is a Christian denomination that believes in the oneness (unity) of God rather than the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). They also emphasize freedom in religious thought.

4.10 The Second Great Awakening

5 min readjanuary 11, 2023

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Robby May

Robby May

S

Sally Kim

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Robby May

Robby May

S

Sally Kim

The was a religious revival movement that occurred in the United States in the early 19th century. It began around 1790, peaked in the 1820s and 1830s, and ended in the late 1840s. The movement was characterized by a renewed interest in Christianity and an increase in church membership, particularly among and . Many new religious denominations were formed during this time, and the influence of the established churches declined.

Change in Beliefs

People began to believe that ordinary people should have a say in the government. They extended this idea into churches, and ministers now had to appeal to everyone else as their success depended on how much they appealed.

Calvinist (Puritan) teachings of and had been rejected by believers in more liberal and forgiving doctrines such as those of the .

  • is the doctrine that holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind's first parents (Adam and Eve). The doctrine of holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the Fall, and people are powerless to rehabilitate themselves unless rescued by God.

  • is about God being in control of all that happens through history, including his choice of saving some people for himself, while allowing others to go their own way along the path of sin.

Emotional religious experiences became important because the caused their work and economic relationships to become less personal.

Charles Grandison Finney

, the best-known preacher of the , taught that sin was voluntary. He rejected the traditional Calvinist doctrine of and believed everyone had the power to become perfect and free of sin. This emphasis on human choice and responsibility, rather than divine , helped to make Finney's preaching particularly appealing to people who were seeking greater control over their own spiritual destinies.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-9ncqkRIAgRUN.jpg?alt=media&token=21d48c90-4f72-4095-9e6f-232ece8a7fd9

Image Courtesy of Connecticut History

Finney also advocated for social reform; he spoke against slavery and for woman's rights. He also saw that women could help convert their husbands and fathers.

He sought instantaneous conversions through a variety of new and controversial methods:

  • Holding protracted meetings that lasted all night or several days in a row. 

  • Placing an “” in front of the congregation where those in the process of repentance could receive special attention

  • Encouraged women to pray publicly for the souls of male relatives. 

  • Sometimes listeners fell to the floor in fits of excitement.

The Legacy of the Second Great Awakening

Religiously, the led to a significant increase in church membership and the formation of new religious denominations. It also led to a more emotional and individualized approach to religion, as opposed to the more formal and intellectual approach of the previous era. This emphasis on personal religious experience would continue to shape American Christianity for decades to come and would influence the development of various new religious movements, like the Pentecostal and the .

The also touched on social reforms. This is how it differs from the first Great Awakening 100 years earlier, which focused on bringing people back to the church. Activist religious groups provided both the leadership and the well-organized voluntary societies that drove the reform movements of the antebellum period such as abolition, temperance, etc. Many of the leaders of these social reform movements were also religious leaders, and they used their pulpits to promote their causes.

Additionally, the led to the creation of many new colleges and universities, which helped to promote education and literacy in the United States. This led to an expansion of the middle class and helped to create a more educated and informed citizenry.

Baptists and Methodists

During the , both the Baptist and Methodist denominations experienced significant growth.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/1839-meth.jpg

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia

In the South on the western frontier, Baptist and Methodist circuit preachers, such as , would travel from one location to another and attract thousands to hear their dramatic preaching at outdoor revivals or .

Highly emotional were usually organized by or . In the southern backcountry, it was difficult to sustain local churches with regular ministers. The solved the problem with .

The growth of these two denominations during the helped to shift the religious landscape of the United States, as membership in traditional churches like the and the began to decline.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

of Palmyra, New York was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1830, he revealed that he had received, over many years, a series of revelations that called upon him to establish Christ’s pure church on Earth.

He published the , a scripture in which he claimed to have discovered and translated with the aid of an angel. Basically, the covers the following: 

  • It was the record of a community of Jews who left the Holy Land six centuries before the birth of Christ and sailed to the American continent. 

  • After his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ appeared to this community and proclaimed the Gospel.

  • 400 years later, a civil war in the group annihilated the believing Christians but not all the descendants of the original Jewish migrants. 

  • One of those survivors contributed to the ancestry of the American Indians. 

Smith and those who converted to the faith were committed to restoring the pure religion that thrived on American soil by founding a western Zion where they could practice their faith and carry out their mission to convert Indians. 

In the 1830s, Mormons established communities in Ohio and Missouri. The one in Ohio went bankrupt and then later was the target of angry mobs. Smith led his followers back across the Mississippi to Illinois where he received a charter from the state legislature. 

Smith then reported new revelations that caused hostility from neighboring people. The most controversial was the authorization of polygamy. In 1844, Smith was killed by a mob while being held in jail.

In 1845, Smith's successor, , decided to send a party of 1500 men to assess the chance of a colony in the vicinity of the . In 1846, 12,000 Mormons took to the trail. Young arrived in Salt Lake and sent word back on the trail that he had found the promised land.

The main focus of this key topic, as outlined by the College Board Course and Description, is to understand the causes of the : "The rise of democratic and individualistic beliefs, a response to rationalism, and changes to society caused by the , along with greater social and geographical mobility, contributed to a among Protestants."

Key Terms to Review (24)

Abolition Movement

: The Abolition Movement was a social and political push for immediate emancipation of all slaves and ending racial discrimination and segregation in America during 18th & 19th centuries.

Anxious Bench

: The anxious bench was an innovation by Charles Grandison Finney during religious revivals where those who were experiencing intense emotional anxiety over their eternal fate could come forward and receive prayers from others.

Baptists

: Baptists are Christians who believe in 'believer's baptism', meaning that only individuals who profess faith in Christ should be baptized. This baptism is usually done by full immersion in water.

Book of Mormon

: The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2200 BC to AD 421.

Brigham Young

: Brigham Young was an American religious leader, politician, and settler who became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) after Joseph Smith’s death. He led his followers, known as Mormons, westward to what would become Utah Territory.

Calvinist Teachings

: Calvinist teachings are based on the theological doctrines advanced by John Calvin, a French theologian. These include predestination (the idea that God has already decided who will be saved) and total depravity (the concept that humanity is inherently sinful).

Camp Meetings

: These were religious revival meetings that took place in the frontier regions of the United States during the early 19th century. They were characterized by enthusiastic preaching, emotional responses from attendees, and lasted several days.

Charles Grandison Finney

: Charles Grandison Finney was a prominent American preacher during the Second Great Awakening in the 19th century. He is known for his innovative revivalist techniques, which included the "anxious bench" and public prayer.

Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

: This is a Christian restorationist church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Members believe it to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ and often refer to themselves as Latter-day Saints or Mormons.

Circuit Riders

: These were clergy in the Methodist Episcopal Church and related denominations who were assigned to travel around specific geographic territories to minister to settlers and organize congregations.

Congregationalists

: Members of a Christian movement characterized by a system where each local church congregation governs its own affairs. It's most common in Protestant churches, particularly those with Puritan roots.

Great Salt Lake

: The Great Salt Lake is a large saltwater lake in northern Utah, United States. It's the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most saline bodies of water in the world.

Holiness Movement

: The Holiness Movement was a religious movement in the 19th century United States, emphasizing the belief in a personal, second work of grace leading to Christian perfection or 'entire sanctification'.

Joseph Smith

: An American religious leader and founder of Mormonism. In 1830, he published The Book of Mormon and established what is now known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Market Revolution

: The Market Revolution refers to the period in 19th-century American history when an agrarian society of small producers evolved into an industrialized nation of consumers.

Methodists

: Methodism is a group of historically related denominations within Protestant Christianity which derive their doctrine of practice and belief from the life and teachings of John Wesley. They emphasize an individual's personal relationship with God through faith.

Original Sin

: Original sin is a Christian belief that humans inherit a tainted nature and proclivity to sin through the fact of birth. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature", to something as drastic as total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt.

Pentecostal Movement

: The Pentecostal movement is a Christian religious movement that emphasizes direct personal experience with God through baptism with the Holy Spirit, as shown by speaking in tongues and healing miracles.

Peter Cartwright

: Peter Cartwright was a famous Methodist revivalist in the 19th century, known for his energetic and passionate preaching during the Second Great Awakening. He also served as a circuit rider, traveling to spread Methodism across America.

Predestination

: Predestination is a religious doctrine that asserts the divine foreordaining of all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not others. It has been particularly associated with the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo and of Calvin.

Presbyterians

: Presbyterians are a group of Protestant Christians who follow the religious traditions and doctrines established by the Reformation-era theologian John Calvin. They believe in a form of church governance led by assemblies of elders, or presbyters.

Second Great Awakening

: The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States, characterized by enthusiastic preaching and widespread revival meetings.

Temperance Movement

: The Temperance Movement was a social movement against consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants sought to reduce alcohol consumption or eliminate it altogether through legislation or persuasion.

Unitarian Church

: The Unitarian Church is a Christian denomination that believes in the oneness (unity) of God rather than the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). They also emphasize freedom in religious thought.


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.