A Cautious Enthusiasm, at first glance, speaks to the nature of Evangelicalism within the southern settlements of the New World. Though after further review, the book itself is not just about the inclusion of Evangelicalism, but the comparison of the religious viewpoints of that and other religious perspectives being adhered to during the 1700’s in colonial America. Quakers, Protestants, Catholics, and even the Moravian all sought acceptance in the New World territories, but the main argument behind acceptance of other religions would hinder the Evangelistic point of view throughout the southern region. The ability to dodge speculation and constant suspicion of a religious takeover within the southern territories makes A Cautious Enthusiasm an important piece in how the religious boundaries of the today’s southern states stemmed from that of our first colonial settlers within the region.
Throughout the book, comparisons of Evangelicalism and Catholicism spoke volumes. As each page turned, it was apparent that the struggle to keep Catholicism from tainting the people of the Carolina’s and Georgia became more of a witch hunt of suspicious respondents than a successful vanquish of the faith. It seemed more often than not priests, visitors, or anyone with whom the colonist could not pinpoint a true motive for their existence within their great land was said to have arrived in hopes of poisoning their settlement with the Catholic faith. Smith states, “Catholicism would infringe on their hopes as freemen” (2013, 38). Numerous visitors to the southern colonial areas also emphasized their discomforts with the settler’s viewpoints. Men such as Whitefield, who came to spread the gospel, were deemed radicals of the Anglican faith by speculators who possessed the authority to change commoner’s opinions with the drop of a hat.
The influence of Angelical leaders also helped to drive colonists into accepting the pietistic rules in low-lying southern settlements. Smith states, “The distance between social classes was never very wide” (2013, 162). This meant that elites were plentiful, but powerful just the same. The Elite helped to mold a unconscious community. They leaked fears and helped to persuade working class citizens that Evangelical way was the only way.
Settlers dreaded the repercussions of religious freedom and therefore stuck to the religion of the settlement. They feared that if their differences were found out, the harsh consequences were far worse than the benefits of spiritual sovereignty. Leaders of the Anglican movement helped to instill this fear in settlers. They made it known through their actions and verbiage whether they approved or dismissed of those not willing to accept the current faith as be; if one cannot conform, one was not welcome.
A Cautious Enthusiasm shed dimensions of light on a religious struggle of freedom and conformity for the southern United States. Through the years, the southern settlements seemed to bare further explanation as to why it was imperative that they remain loyal to a specific faith, rather than let change run its course. In a sense, we still struggle with this conformity today. To sum it up, A Cautious Enthusiasm is a verbal illustration of a time when individuals accepted what was presented to them because it was easier to not put much thought into individuality. Faith helps to mold a nation, but it is the followers in faith that build the final path toward greatness.

Reference:
Smith, Samuel C. A Cautious Enthusiasm: Mystical Piety and Evangelicalism in Colonial South Carolina. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2013.