1. The Ferment of Reform and Culture
The American Pageant: Chapter 15

2. Religion under the Founding Fathers
Before the reform and revival, 3/4ths of Americans attended church in 1850.
During the Revolution, Thomas Paine’s “The Age of Reason” shot down churches by saying they were trying to enslave and terrorize and monopolize power.
Founding Fathers were deists or people that believed God created a mechanical world.
The world was running itself without God’s intervention.
Deists also believed that God gave humans the capacity to have moral behavior.

3. Unitarians Believed in God as one person rather than the Trinity
Stressed the goodness of people’s behavior versus the vileness.
Free will and salvation by good works.
God was a loving Father, not a stern Creator.
Against predestination and Calvinism

4. Revivalism Started in the south spread to the northeast eventually
Second Great Awakening – a wave of spiritual fervor church reorganization
passionate evangelicalism
new sects
prison reform, temperance cause, women’s movement, abolitionism
Huge camp meetings spread the Awakening to the masses
several days where gospel was served up by a preacher
dancing
many saved went back to sinful ways later
boosted church membership
Some even were moved to do missionary work

5. Methodist Revival 1839

6. Methodists and Baptists
Personal conversion (versus predestination) democratic control of church affairs emotionalism
Peter Cartwright
Traveling frontier preacher – Methodist
Called upon sinners to repent
Converted thousands
would physically beat up people that tried to crash his meetings
Charles Grandison Finney
Was a lawyer, left bar to become evangelist
Rochester and NYC
encouraged women to pray aloud
Against alcohol and slavery

7. Cartwright and Finney

8. Millerites (Adventists)
Commanded by William Miller
Interpreted the Bible as saying Christ would return to earth on October 22, 1844
Gathered in prayerful assemblies to greet Christ
Jesus failing to appear caused some to lose heart but it didn’t destroy the movement.

10. Mormonism Joseph Smith
advocated cooperation versus individualism and free enterprise which the high ranking Americans did not like.
Made people angry by voting as a unit and drilling militia for defensive purposed.
Mormon Moses – Brigham Young led the Mormons into Utah while singing “Come, Come Ye Saints”
Polygamy
Statehood in Utah in 1896

12. Women and the Church
Middle class women and daughters and wives of businessmen were the first to jump into the revivalism
Majority of new church members
Most likely to stick with their faith
Women were apprehensive of the changes and more likely to be converted
Women were given role of bringing family and husband back to God

13. Revivalism and division
Conservative denominations in the East were not affected much.
The wealthy educated took on Presbyterianism, Episcopalism, Congregationalism, and Unitarianism
The less fortunate took on Methodism and Baptists. (rural south and west)
Slavery divided religions into regions

14. Education Available for all whites Horace Mann – reforms for education
Women rarely achieved higher education
Horace Mann – reforms for education
Universities –
established to show local pride
many based on teaching religion
Noah Webster Improved textbooks
Reading lessons were used to promote patriotism as well as teach reading
Published Webster’s dictionary in 1828.
William H. McGuffey Published grade school readers
these readers promoted morality, patriotism, and idealism