By: Keera

Introduction The 1770s was the period of the First Great Awakening in religion. The Awakening was a key driver behind the American Revolution. I will present these facts (and opinions) in my PowerPoint.

Fact 1: The Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a religious revival of Christianity that swept the colonies of America and parts of Europe in the 18 th century. The Awakening ignited people’s imagination. Why? Because it transformed people’s practice of worship from formal ritual and ceremony to something very personal. It was the Great Awakening that laid the foundation for the American Revolution.

Fact 2: George Whitefield George Whitefield was the father of the Great Awakening and one of the greatest evangelists that ever lived. He became a sensation throughout England, preaching to large audiences. His powerful preaching was what drove the Awakening. He traveled to America, where he gained such broad recognition that he was even compared to George Washington. George Whitefield died near Boston in 1770.

Fact 3: God and the Revolutionary War Many Revolutionary War clergy argued that the war against Britain was approved by God. Jonathan Mayhew, pastor at the West Church in Boston, was one of these clergy. He said, “To resist a tyrant is a glorious Christian duty.”

Fact 4: Ministers and the Revolutionary war Church ministers contributed to the American Revolution in a number of ways. They served as military chaplains, penmen for committees of correspondence, and as members of state legislatures, constitutional conventions and the national Congress. Some even took up arms, leading Continental troops in battle. They also spread the word of the Awakening at church.

Fact 5: the Sabbath Every Sunday, the “Sabbath” day was held as a show of respect to God. On this day, no work was to be done. Riding outside either for business or pleasure was not permitted. Sabbath Day was when clergy preached the Awakening.

Fact 6: The Old South The Old South was a meeting place built in 1729 as a house of worship. It was then the largest building in colonial Boston. The Old South is known as the place where the Boston Tea Party officially started. In 1773, over 5,000 people gathered at the Old South to protest the tea tax. They soon marched out of the Old South to the harbor, where they dumped the three shiploads of tea into the water.

Fact 7: ‘One if by land, two if by sea.’ The Old North was a church in Boston. The fame of the Old North began on the evening of April 18, The church sexton, Robert Newman, climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. This event signaled the beginning of the American Revolution.

The Old North

Conclusion Although its importance is easily overlooked, the First Awakening of religion leading up to the 1770s played an important role in the American Revolution. Boston was the birthplace of the American Revolution.

Sources bostoncatholic.org loc.gov cityofboston.gov oldnorth.com (picture and information) Johnny Tremain (book)

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