Jordyn Fields, Katherine Martinez, Kathryn Baker,
Robbie Mcgovern, & James Arndt
Second Great Awakening
Definition-It was a religious revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began
around 1790, gained momentum by 1800 and, after 1820, membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist
congregations whose preachers led the movement.
Perfectionism
Definition- A doctrine holding that religious, moral, social, or political perfection is attainable, especially the theory that human
moral or spiritual perfection should be or has been attained.
Unitarian,Baptist and Methodist
Definitions:
Unitarian-a person, especially a Christian, who asserts the unity of God and rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.
Baptist-a member of a Protestant Christian denomination advocating baptism only of adult believers by total immersion. Baptists form
one of the largest Protestant bodies and are found throughout the world and especially in the US.
Methodist-a member of a Christian Protestant denomination originating in the 18th-century evangelistic movement of Charles and John
Wesley and George Whitefield.
Joseph Smith
Definition-Founder of Mormonism and Church of Latter Day Saints.
-At 24, he published the Book of Mormon. Smith claimed to have had religious visions about
Jesus, God and an angel named Moroni.
-The angel guided him to a buried book of golden plates. Smith then translated them into english
in the Book of Mormon.
-Gained thousands of followers.
-Regarded as a prophet.
Mormons and Polygamy
DefinitionMormons: The church was founded by a guy named Joseph Smith in 1830 in Salt Lake
City, Utah. This religious group emphasized moderation, saving, hard work,
and risk-taking. Their religious beliefs challenged churches’ conceptions of theology.
They also challenged democratic trends. Because of these claims and unusual practices such as polygamy,
Mormons were shunned. Morons settled in the state of Utah to escape persecution.
Polygamy: The practice of marriage by a man to multiple wives. Between 1840 and 1890 in the United States,
polygamy was customary among some African peoples and was practiced by many Mormons.
Church of Latter- Day Saints
Definition-
Church of Latter- Day Saints:
-They were also known as the Mormon church.
-They were a group that believed in the Book of Mormon.
- Joseph Smith organized the mormons after receiving "Sacred writings" in
New York. They were very unpopular because of their practice of polygamy.
Brigham Young
Definition-Originally a methodist, but converted to mormonism after he read the Book of Mormon in the early 1830s.
-He was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and settler of the west.
-He was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints.
-Regarded as “American Moses” because he led followers in an exodus through the desert in the Western
United Sates to what they saw as the promised land.
-He influenced the development of American Western/Mormon culture.
Brigham Young and the New Zion
Definition-Mormon religious community in Salt Lake City, Utah.
-After Smith died, Mormons followed Young here to escape religious persecution in New England.
-Unified society of Latter-Day Saints.
-Utah presently has the highest Mormon population in the United States.
Timothy Dwight
Definition-Wielded both the Temporal Sword (as the head of Connecticut’s Federalist party),
and spiritual sword (as head of the Congregational church).
-Helped to create the second “Great Awakening” out of fear that states would fail
to establish schools and the rise of “infidelity” would destroy republican
institutions.
Charles G. Finney
Definition-Most active during the middle 1800’s as a revivalists.
-Known for his innovations in preaching and conduct of religious meetings.
-Later in his life, he became known for his work during the abolitionist movement.
-He frequently denied that slavery was necessary and didn’t want it to exist.
-In 1835, he became a professor at Oberlin College in Ohio and after a decade was selected as its second
president.
William Miller
Definition-Coming from a background in the military, William Miller decided to turn to preaching.
-Throughout his time, he was deeply concerned with the subject of death and the afterlife.
-He believed that after death, there are only two things that can happen: annihilation, and accountability.
-Shortly after his return to his family home in Low Hampton, he took steps towards regaining his baptist faith.
-His followers, Millerites or Adventists, followed his preachings of Millennialism.
Why join this movement?
The world may be full of sinners, turmoil, and wrong-doings, but we can change
that. If we learn to believe again, we can preserve the faith and feel revived and
find a way to keep the world hopeful. People come to America to start a new life
and there is no better way to do so than to join this movement!