The Second Great Awakening, Social Reform, and Slavery in the Early 1800s

Apuntes

The Second Great Awakening In the 1730s and 1740s, American participation in church and religious activities increased. Popular Christian churches used the Bible to teach that all men are equal, moral behavior determines worth, and people can be saved through service to God. The "Great Awakening" happened mainly in New England's traditional colonial religious groups. Ideas from this period influenced the American Revolution. After the American Revolution, many people felt their churches and religious leaders needed more excitement and inspirational sermons. Through the first half of the 1800s, religious activity peaked again, called the "Second Great Awakening." This time the movement was more widespread and had greater long-term effects on American society. Women participated in the Second Great Awakening more than men. Read the letters of "Ruth," a fictional woman of the 1840s, to learn more about the Second Great Awakening. Ruthie, like many Americans in the 1800s, joined a denomination and helped with the creation of many more. Other leaders of the Second Great Awakening, like Phoebe Palmer, emphasized reflecting on one's own faith over testifying sins to others, but also belie...