Great Awakening
1730s - 1740s
What was the Great Awakening?
▪ Religious revival movement.
▪ Evangelicalism-- “new birth” is the
ultimate religious experience.
▪ Followers accept that they are
sinners and ask for salvation.
Before the Great Awakening
▪ Before 1730s, most colonies had
established religions:
▪ Congregationalists in New England
(basically Puritans)
▪ Anglicans in New York and Southern
Colonies (same as Church of
England)
“Old Lights” vs. “New Lights”
▪ Churches that grew as a result of the Great
Awakening: Presbyterianism, Methodism, Baptism
(“New Lights”)
▪ Great Awakening challenged authority and
hierarchy of established churches (“Old Lights:”
Congregationalists and Anglicans).
▪ Great Awakening said anyone could be converted
or “born again”; you didn’t need traditional
church leadership to decide whether or not you
belong.
Great Awakening contin.
▪ Encouraged ideas of equality and the
right to challenge authority
▪ Some churches welcomed women,
African Americans, and native
Americans
▪ Churched rapidly gained
membership
Leaders of the Great Awakening
George Whitefield
Jonathan Edwards
▪ Both were famous ministers
▪ Whitefield: raised $ for orphans
▪ Edwards: terrified listeners with
images of God’s anger but
promised they could be saved
TEKS 8.3C: describe how religion and virtue
contributed to the growth of representative
government in the American colonies.
TEKS 8.25B: describe religious motivation for
immigration and influence on social
movements, including the impact of the first
and second Great Awakenings
TEKS 8.20A: explain the role of significant
individuals such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de
Montesquieu, John Locke, William Blackstone,
and William Penn in the development of selfgovernment in colonial America
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening
The term Great Awakening is used to refer to a
period of religious revival in the 1730s and
1740s in American religious history. It was
characterized by widespread revivals led by
evangelical Protestant ministers, a sharp
increase of interest in religion, a jump in
evangelical church membership, and the
formation of new religious movements and
denominations.
Concepts:
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Religion should be deeply personal
All are sinners in need of God’s redemption (to
be saved)
Encouraged people to inspect their lives and
make a commitment to change
Wanted people to connect emotionally to their
religion
Preached Christianity to slaves