The 1st Great Awakening
1730’s – 1740’s
Many early American religious groups in
the Calvinist tradition had emphasized
the deep depravity of human beings and
believed they could only be saved
through the grace of God by extreme
devotion.
 In America – Quakers, Anglican,
Congregationalists (Puritains)
 1st Great Awakening – Rebellion against
these forced religions.

1st Great Awakening
During this the people of the American
colonies realized that they could worship
the way they wanted. Local govts could
no longer force by law how a person
worships. (think Salem witch trials)
 Some historians believe that the 1st
Great Awakening led to the
Revolutionary War

New revival of religious feelings

What causes revival of religion?
 Early 1730’s & 40’s – 1st Great Awakening
○ What caused the 1st Great Awakening?
 1820’s to 1860’s – 2nd Great Awakening
○ What was going on during this period?
○ Why would people turn to religion during this
period?
2nd Great Awakening religion
The new evangelical movement placed
greater emphasis on humans' ability to
change their situation for the better.
 The Second Great Awakening embraced
a more optimistic view of the human
condition.
 So what does this mean?

New time religion
Evangelists
 Everyone can be “saved”
 New sects

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (nicknamed the Mormons) formed
 Baptists and Methodists grow in popularity
Reforming society

Public school
 Immigration drives the desire for public
school
○ Why?
 Public schools are opened in the northern
states.
○ Why are there no public schools in the south?
 Horace Mann – leader in the education
movement
Prison Reform
Mentally ill are given their own facilities
 Pennsylvania System – complete
solitary confinement
 Auburn system – prisoners worked
together in complete silence during the
day and slept in their own cell at night

Temperance Movement

The attempt to end alcohol and the
problems caused by it
Women’s Suffrage
15

The Seneca Falls Convention was the first
woman's rights convention. It was revolutionary
because these women took a step outside of their
sphere and brought the problem of woman's
rights to the public. They took the first step of
trying to change woman's inequality by holding
this convention to make people aware of woman's
rights.
The Seneca Falls Declaration (1848)

“we hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men and
women are created equal;
that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, that among
these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness…. And
such is now the necessity
which constraints [women] to
demand the equal station to
which they are entitled. “
Declaration of Sentiments
Seneca Falls, July 1848
17
Abolition Movement

This movement to
end slavery in
America picks up
steam during this
this time but we are
going to save this
topic for next the
next unit (sorry)