The Great Awakening was a Christian religious revival in America, with several distinct periods of increased religious activity. The First Great Awakening (1730-1740) saw increased church membership, fervent sermons, social activism, and new religious denominations. The Second Great Awakening (1790-1860) saw an upsurge in preaching activity, political movements, and the emergence of new Protestant denominations. Some historians acknowledge a Third Great Awakening after the American Civil War, with an increase in social activism and missionary work, and the establishment of new Christian denominations.
The Great Awakening was a Christian religious revival in America. There were actually several distinct periods of increased religious activity, but the term often refers to a period between 1730 and 1740, also known as the First Great Awakening. Characteristics of this period include increased church membership, fervent sermons by pastors, social activism, and new religious denominations.
The term itself refers to a sleep perceived in religious devotion; it was used by those who favored a resumption of religious activity. English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton’s 1687 publication of Principia offered widely accepted arguments for a mechanical universe that followed natural laws. Many in the later Age of Enlightenment contested religious claims and advocated human values more in line with those of the classical era than those associated with periods of strong Christian influence.
Two prominent figures are believed to have sparked the First Great Awakening in the United States. While the revivals were part of a larger religious movement that was strong in England, Scotland and Germany, the fiery speeches of preachers in America were immediately followed by intense religious activity. Jonathan Edwards is known for conjuring up vivid images of hell in his best-known sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” George Whitefield, originally an English preacher, began to attract large audiences in America after 1739. Edwards and Whitefield’s style of speech emphasized an emotional connection with everyday Christians rather than rational theological arguments and has been imitated by many preachers and lay Christians.
The Second Great Awakening extended from 1790 to the period before the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1860. As in the first period, there was an upsurge in preaching activity. A number of political movements also advanced during this period, including the abolition of slavery, equal rights for women, prison reform, and alcohol abuse. It also coincided with the emergence of a number of new Protestant denominations, such as Mormon, Baptist and Shaker.
Some historians acknowledge a Third Great Awakening. The American Civil War disrupted many religious activities in the northern United States, but it is believed to have spurred revivals in the South. After the war, there was an increase in social activism, including campaigns for better working conditions and the prohibition of alcohol, pornography and prostitution. Missionary work, both domestic and international, was very active during this period. Like the second movement, it also saw the establishment of new Christian denominations.
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