LESSON 4.3: The Second Great Awakening

 What was the Great Awakening?  Explain the causes of the Great Awakening?  Summarize in your own words the effects of the Great Awakening.

 By the beginning of the 19th century, traditional Christian beliefs were held in less favor by numerous educated Americans. A countervailing tendency was underway, however, in the form of a tremendous religious revival that spread westward during the century's first half. It coincided with the nation's population growth from five to 30 million and the boundary's westward movement.

 You Tube Video (Tom Richey): What was the main difference between the First and Second Great Awakening?  w w

 This Second Great Awakening, a reprise of the Great Awakening of the early 18th century, was marked by an emphasis on personal piety and ones ability to turn their back on sin. In northern New England, social activism (the reform movements) took precedence; in western New York, the movement encouraged the growth of new denominations. In the Appalachian region of Tennessee and Kentucky, the revival energized Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists, and gave rise to the popular camp meeting, a chance for isolated frontier folk to gather and enjoy the excitement of evangelistic fervor.

 The revival's secular effects consisted of two main strains:  The virtues and behavior of the expanding middle class—a strong work ethic, frugality and temperance—were endorsed and legitimized.  Its emphasis on the ability of individuals to amend their lives engendered a wide array of reform movements aimed at redressing injustice and alleviating suffering—a democratizing effect.

 Imagine that your knucklehead partner just went to the bathroom and missed the last 2 slides. Write a quick note to fill him/her in on what the 2 nd Great Awakening was all about.

 Social activism spawned abolition groups, temperance and suffrage societies, and others committed to prison reform, care for the handicapped and mentally ill. A noted proponent of such reforms was the evangelist Charles G. Finney. In addition to being an innovative evangelist whose techniques others would imitate, he held that the Gospel saved people, but also it was a means to reform society. True to his word, Finney was a fervent abolitionist and encouraged other Christians to get involved.

 The movement spread through southern Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Features of the Methodist and Baptist denominations became assets on the frontier. The Methodists inspired circuit riders from among their common folk; they penetrated to remote areas and enjoyed a natural rapport with the isolated families they evangelized. Among the Baptists, ordinary farmers frequently got the God call, pored over their Bibles, then kindled congregations—which ordained them. The Bible belt of the South and border states was born on this grassroots format.

 What was the impact of the 2 nd Great Awakening?

 The Second Great Awakening exerted a lasting impact on American society, more than any other revival. While its fervor abated, it left a legacy of many established churches, democratization and social reform.

 Iw Iw  3  2  1  “Spirit of Reform” research

 Today I learned…………………………………………………………  In your journal, summarize what you have learned about the impact of the 2 nd Great Awakening on America.  What was the main difference between the first and 2 nd Great Awakening?  What were the two main strains of the 2 nd Great Awakening?  What was the immediate impact of the 2 nd Great Awakening?  How did the 2 nd Great Awakening impact the South?  What is the legacy of the Great Awakening?