The 1 st Great Awakening Objective: Interpret contributions of various religious groups to civic principles

Puritan Life A fundamental Puritan doctrine God knows who is saved and who is damned, God is omniscient and omnipotent (all-knowing and all- powerful) Those who live virtuous lives more successful on earth more pious more likely to be the Elect- those who will be saved On the flip side, heathens, heretics, and criminals are considered more likely to be doomed What is the point of living a virtuous life? How would it change your outlook on life?

Puritan Life Own what you need to make it Puritans started to collect things they didn’t need Became consumers and started to leave the Puritan way of life Sound American? Which enlightened thinker proposed the event that the puritans were experiencing?

Great Awakening In the early 1700s. “Revival: public church gatherings with hundreds of people.” Lots of Christian sermons and church meetings in the colonies It changed life in the colonies First “truly” American event during the colonial period How would a shared experience help or hurt the colonies?

Great Awakening “Old Lights” were people who were following the traditions of the church “New Lights” were people who were following the ideas of the Great Awakening (many were Baptists or Methodists) Used emotional methods of sermon What would modern religion fall under?

Great Awakening Belief that your good deeds will not get you into heaven One farmer wrote that the sermon “…put me into a trembling fear.” People were afraid of going to hell

Great Awakening The Great Awakening divided the colonists Men and women who converted during the First Great Awakening had to go against traditions (Some churches split)

Great Awakening Many women and African- Americans were “saved” during the Great Awakening (spiritual equality) However, most revivals were separated by race

Jonathan Edwards Puritan priest from New England instrumental in the movement Series of revivals aimed at restoring devotion piety colonies in the mid-1700s Fire & Brimstone style of worship; large, emotionally charged crowds Like the Enlightenment movement stressed importance of the individual

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” (“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider…over the fire, abhors (hates) you…”) Jonathan Edwards You are not religious enough!

Jonathan Edwards preached that God was outraged by human sin and that salvation could only be reached by penitence- all others would be damned

George Whitefield Preached to thousands in barns, fields, and tents. God was all – powerful Only save those who professed their belief in the Savior Common people could understand religion without religious official leadership

In Closing In gods eyes all people are equal Real person lies in personal behavior not class or money Enlightenment – society based on hierarchy Privileged class People can follow religion on their own

God = “benign creator” in the 18 th century Dramatic changes in American religion from the Impact Religion became emotionally based Official clergy lost power Created division within churches - those who supported it and those who did not Increased diversity - led for increased calling for separation of church and state Influence on politics Increased unity because the colonists had now been through a common experience Changed the popular view on authority (questioning of the clergy led to questioning of other authorities) In Closing