Unit 4: Topic 10 - The Second Great Awakening Flashcards
What was the Second Great Awakening? (1790-1840)
The Second Great Awakening (1790-1840) was a series of religious revivals among Protestant Christians that emphasized righteous living, personal restraint, and a strong moral rectitude that would lead a person and society to salvation.
It is often credited with influencing many reform movements (temperance, women’s rights, abolitionism, etc.) that would become more popular throughout the 1800s.
How were “camp meetings” associated with the Second Great Awakening?
Near the beginning of the Second Great Awakening, traveling preachers would set up camp meetings in frontier towns.
These services could last for multiple days, with attendees often traveling dozens of miles for the meeting. They’re known for their emotional preaching and enthusiastic crowds while spreading the religious excitement of the Second Great Awakening.
How did the Second Great Awakening directly influence women and African-Americans?
The idea of equality before God influenced many women and African-Americans during the 2nd Great Awakening.
Women were empowered to expand their roles as moral guardians, contributing to reform movements such as temperance, education, abolitionism, and women’s rights.
Free African-Americans were inspired by the calls for equality and created their own denominations, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). Meanwhile, many slaves viewed Christianity as a religion that could provide hope for the future.
What were the influences of the Second Great Awakening?
The Market Revolution
- Economic success was largely up to the individual, work hard and improve to be successful.
- Similarly, it was preached that salvation was up to the individual. Reform your life in order to go to heaven.
The rise of democratic/individualist beliefs
- The push for lower classes to be more involved in democracy (removal of property requirements to vote) is similar to the camp meetings, which had many people participating side by side, regardless of background.
The rejection of Rationalism in favor of Romanticism
- Large emphasis on emotion and an individual’s personal experience.
Who was Charles Grandison Finney?
Charles Grandison Finney was a popular evangelist during the Second Great Awakening. He delivered audience-centered sermons that were emotional and moral, easily connecting with his listeners. Finney encouraged many social reforms, including abolitionism and women’s rights.
Finney is also known for coining the term “burned-over district”, which refers to a part of central and western New York State where the religious zeal of the 2nd Great Awakening rapidly spread through revivals and new religious movements.
