In this satirical British cartoon of 1760 evangelist George Whitefield preaches to a crowd of listeners while holding a bag of “cash.” The crowd below adds critical comment, one man remarking that the “Rev. Mr. Humbug” is worth no more than a “halfpenny,” and the woman next to him wishing that Whitefield’s “spirit was in my flesh.” Source: Copyright the British Museum.

The Great Awakening In the 1730s, the Great Awakening began with Jonathan Edwards calling for a return to Puritan traditions that appealed to dissatisfied young people. The movement spread as thousands of people experienced emotional conversions. In 1738, George Whitefield toured America, further fueling the movement. Conflicts developed between Old and New Lights. In the South, the Great Awakening introduced Christianity to slaves. The Great Awakening greatly increased church membership. Refer to photo of Baptism in full conversion.

Baptism by Full Immersion in the Schuylkill River of Pennsylvania, an engraving by Henry Dawkins illustrating events in the history of American Baptists, was published in Philadelphia in 1770. With calls for renewed piety and purity, the Great Awakening reinvigorated American Protestantism. The Baptists preached an egalitarian message, and their congregations in the South often included both white and black Protestants. SOURCE: Henry Dawkins, “Baptismal Ceremony Beside he Schuylkill.” Engraving, 1770, John Carter Brown Library at Brown University.

Lasting effects of the Great Awakening: *emotional spirituality undermined older clergy’s education *set off competition between new denominations and churches *encouraged new wave of missionary work, even among slaves *led to the founding of new colleges, foreshadowing the “ivy league” *considered the “first spontaneous mass-movement of the American people,” foreshadowing independence