...The Great Awakening: A wave of revivals During the 18th century, the life of the colonists had improved a lot. They had a choice between multitudes of religions, had a growing economy, and were inspired by the movement of Enlightenment in Europe. But with this revival happening in the American colonies, the true Christians got concerned. According to many historians, this wave of revivals was entitled ‘The Great Awakening’. This event revealed many social and economical trends in the colonies. Joseph Tracy, past minister and historian also saw this event as one of the precursor of the American Revolution. With the newly choice of religions, the colonists became little by little less affected by being part of one. In fact, a large number of them were either indifferent about it, deist, or not concerned by being religious. In the leading colonial cities, only 10 to 15% of eligible adults were members of a church (American Promise, p.134). When more religious people realized how few they were, they started to preach people to reconvert them to a more religious lifestyle. This was called the Great Awakening. Ministers were using different ways to lead the revival. The fact that ministers had to make the population go to Church shows an expanding social trend of the population refusing to attend church probably to express their recent ability to be free of choosing and make their own decision concerning religious views. But after many well-known ministers such as Jonathan Edwards...
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...The First Great Awakening Research Paper Submitted to Dr. William Bryant CHHI 302-D01 201340 BY Chris Jones November 21, 2013 Introduction The Great Awakening, which found its beginnings in 1740, was the first event to effectively influence all of the British colonies. In recent years religion had become complacent, and many people were going to church, but not really benefitting from the teachings. Going through the motions and acting like they were gaining something out of it was the main thought of the time. During this time, strong minded evangelists emerged and began preaching with fire-and-brimstone on their tongues; declaring the only way to find salvation was through conversion. This spirited revival became what is known as the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening empowered people to begin thinking on their own, making their own decisions, which brought them closer in relationship with God. The Great Awakening is believed to be one of the reasons the colonists lost favor with the British Empire, and gave rise to the beginnings of the American Revolution. The Great Awakening The Great Awakening had its beginnings in the American colony of New Jersey. Frelinghuysen and Gilbert Tennent are recognized as the first to organize the Awakening. Frelinghuysen, a Dutch pastor raised in the Dutch reformed churches, began teaching the necessity of deep transformation in the 1720’s. Tennent followed his father when he continued organizing the “log colleges” where...
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...Shan Rogers Religion Professor Orr December 1, 2012 The Great Awakening and Its Leaders and Theology The Great Awakening was a revival movement meant to purify religion from material distractions and renew any and every person’s faith in God. The movement was a reaction against the diminishing of religion and the spread of disbelief during the Enlightenment of the 1700’s. During this time, revival ministers stressed the emptiness of material comfort, the corruption of human nature, and the need for immediate repentance for fear that individuals shall receive divine fury. So basically, the Great Awakening was a period in history in the American colonies, where the importance of the church was deemphasized and there was more of a focus on the spirituality of individuals themselves. Among this historical event, were leaders who would help carry the Great Awakening to where it was destined to be. Though there were many leaders, two leaders stood out more than any other and had the greatest impact on the Great Awakening. These two leaders were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. The revival had begun with Jonathan Edwards in Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards came from Puritan, Calvinist roots, but emphasized the importance and power of a personal religious experience. Edwards’s role in the Awakening was major and crucial in many ways. First, Edwards was a very prominent and effective preacher who not only used his faith as inspiration for his sermons but also from...
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...upheavals occurred in the colonies during the late seventeenth century OR what are historians’ varying opinions about the New York conspiracy trials? By the mid-1600s, less than half a century after the English had opened the way for full-scale European settlement, serious crises were brewing in the American colonies. At first tensions were caused by a steadily increasing population: massive numbers of settlers required more land, additional dwellings and other accommodations, greater food supplies, and expanded trade and transportation networks. The immediate victims were Native Americans, who suffered mistreatment at the hands of colonists scrambling to grab land and natural...
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...Palacios English 3A 9 February 2017 The Great Awakening was an important time for colonists. Puritanism had a big impact on American colonist’s lives. Before the Great Awakening, religion was common in colonies. However, the Great Awakening changed religion for them. The colonist’s feelings towards God changed and many new religions were made. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a sermon by Jonathan Edwards. This sermon contains many details that show how religion changed for the colonists. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards shows how colonists were impacted by the Great Awakening. Religion prior to the Great Awakening was much stricter. Different colonies had different rules but...
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...I am going to describe the outbreak of revival during the Great Awakening. First of all the Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Some historians have speculated that the shift from rural and agricultural to urban and commercial styles of life may have engendered guilt in those leaving "the old ways" behind. In a few towns the rapid spread of revival followed closely upon the heels of serious illness, especially the "throat distemper" (diphtheria) which carried away large numbers of New Englanders in the 1730s. In other awakened localities, economic problems had been a troubling source of tensions. Some merchants worried about the effects of conflict following Britain's declaration of war on Spain in 1739. Many others joined the merchants in concern about the absence of an adequate currency. It deemphasized the importance of church doctrine and instead put a greater importance on the individual and their spiritual experience. The Great Awakening arose at a time when man in Europe and the American colonies were questioning the role of the individual in religion and society. It began at the same time as the Enlightenment which emphasized logic and reason and stressed the...
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...The American Enlightenment was a time period where people started to question how things were made and why they were made. Instead of believing what rulers or high ranked people said, they started to use their reason and intelligence. It gave rise to the American Revolution, development of education, and question religion. The development of the American Enlightenment came also the Great Awakening which made religion revive in the lives of the colonists because they were focusing more on money and materialism and forgetting that Christ wanted them to come before him. The Great Awakening brought people back to their feet and understanding that Christ was essential. Both the American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, gave rise to conflicts...
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...Luis Castro Enlightenment to The Great Awakening The great awakening started in the 1720s and endured until the 1910s. It was a time when almost the entirety of the thirteen colonies had been attending sermons of many popular preachers, preachers such as George Whitefield. But it wasn’t always like that; the great awakening was preceded by a lack of Christianity, and a degradation of moral values. To try to fix this William Stoughton, a minister from New England, in 1688, went to the legislature in Massachusetts and said “O what a sad metamorphasis hath of later years passed upon us in these churches and plantations! Alas! How is New England in danger to be buried in its own ruins”^1. What he tried to say was that throughout time the churches have diminished, and that because of this New England will be sending itself to its grave. The Great Awakening was one of the most swaying religious movements that led people to do good, such as the American Revolution, and in some cases unpleasant acts. To quote Doctor Edwin S. Gaustad “… A revolution, while bringing deprivation and hardship, would bring also a new wholesomeness and vitality to American life.” He said this because he was trying to explain that in the eyes of the colonist’s Britain was starting to become evil, which he showed by quoting John Adams “Calamity will have this good effect, at least: it will inspire Us with many Virtues, which We have not, and correct many Errors, Follies, and Vices, which threaten...
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... A lot of people had a lot of freethinking because of religion. Immigration mixed culture in the colonies and started unification in the colonies. Religion in the colonies changed the views of many colonists. Many preachers convinced the colonist to join the church to be with God. This is known as the First Great Awakening. George Whitefield and John Wesley started the movement in the late 1730s, after they tried to convince colonist to be involved with the church. The colonist believed every word the preachers said and many of began to follow the preachers. Most of the movement happened in the New England region, Pennsylvania and New York. In 1775, about 74% of the population was a member of a church in the colonies. The Congregationalist church was the most popular church in the colonies. In...
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...The Great Awakening generated many Biblical truths during its time and is considered phenomena to today’s church. Some of these Biblical truths are salvation and a conversion of the heart, that all men and women can be saved. We can have an understanding of Gods truth and His word. Moreover we can have freedom of sin from the guilt and shame. Furthermore mankind can be transformed by His word. Edwards’s vision went beyond salvation, redemption is another Biblical truth. Edwards also stressed that God’s grace extends to everyone that will call on Him. The manifestation of God’s grace, and the bestowal of His richest blessings. All of these Biblical truths can be found in His Holy word. These truths are so essential to the Christians Faith....
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...What conditions shaped the character of English settlements in America? There was no government controlling the new land, therefor giving the colonies the opportunity to grow their own businesses and make a profit. Since the government had little to no control, it was a smart move to have a privately owned company. It was also very easy to create their own culture politically and socially. To be able to do this successfully and live in their own society, they had to isolate themselves from the natives. 2) Explain the importance of tobacco in the development of the Virginia colony. Tobacco was a cash crop, making selling tobacco very profitable. Tobacco grew easily in Virginia due to its great growing weather, soil, and large fields. The east India company was a major financier in the colony, sending people to help grow more tobacco. Tobacco was so easy to grow, slaves were sent to grow tobacco due to it being significantly cheaper than to have them doing other jobs. 3) What...
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...most of the people in the early colonies lived and worked on a farm. The owner used to have big land and large plantation where a poor people used to work day and night not to earn wealth rather survive. The day of a people used to start early in the morning when the sunrise and ends when the sun sets. The farmer did not use to get benefit from the daily hard work. They used to have porridge and beer to be ready for the work every morning. In the early colonies, the farmer's house was used to built by Edwin rice. The men used to work outside in the farm field and at the time of springtime they would be filling and planting the fields. They used all the hard labor with the help of an animal. And in the fall time they collect the harvest and...
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...Successes of the First Great Awakening In the 1730’s and 1740’s the British American Colonies embarked on a revitalized religious piety called “The Great Awakening” which had a plethora of positive effects that strengthened the colonies at that present time and has remnants today in modern day America. Two extremely brilliant pastors by the names of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield operating as separate entities led a mission through British America exhorting colonists to repent of sins! “As The Great Awakening” begins to ignite, these two pastors will have made footprints in America that will shape the way of Christianity forever. Jonathan Edwards was known for having one of the deepest theological minds ever. He proclaimed a burning desire for righteousness, and depending whole heartedly on God’s saving and loving grace. Preaching boldly with much conviction! On the contrary George Whitefield was effective! But, had a different preaching style. Four years into “The Great Awakening” English parson George Whitefield appeared on the scene, he was a great orator, spiritually led his voice boomed and was able to reach the masses. How did these two pastors Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield effect America? What evolved from “The Great Awakening?” We are going to dissect “The Great Awakening” by following events that led to spiritual success for British America after returning to a sound walk with God. Additionally, we will see how the Holy Spirit moved through these men...
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...giving endless opportunity to anyone willing to take the risk of coming over. This brought over explorers, people seeking religious toleration or anyone just wanting to take a chance, such as the Jamestown colonists in 1607. Over time, the number of colonists grew and the number of colonies increased, so by 1650, colonies such as Jamestown and the Massachusetts Bay Colony were increasingly stable. The colonies developed and colonial life began to change. New economies would be formed and a separate identity would start to become apparent. Although colonial advancement was slowed by conflicts with natives and occasionally with Britain, the colonies progressed tremendously economically and...
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...1.What were the main causes, elements, and impact of the different approaches to colonies followed by the English, French, and Spanish? By Columbus’s discovery, Spain got a religious justification fro conquest and an army of seasoned soldiers, named conquistadores. Also, rulers in Spain developed efficient techniques for controlling new colonies. The conquistadores left a trail of destruction by attacking native villages and killed or captured the inhabitant since they preferred seeking gold and slaves to creating permanent settlements. In 1519, some Spanish soldiers landed on the coast of Mexico. Three years later, these Spanish soldier conquered Aztec empire. The three factors of Spanish victory were technological advantages, division within the Aztec empire, and disease. Later, some other Spanish soldiers conquered a richer empire, Inca empire. By 1550, Spain’s New World empire, which stretched from the Caribbean through Mexico to Peru, was administered from Spain by the Council of the Indies. The council enacted laws for the empire and supervised an elaborate bureaucracy to maintain political control and extract wealth from the land and its people. Then, two expedition went to north America to find gold and silver but they did not find any gold and silver. So Spain stopped to extend its empire and just maintained two precarious footholds in north of Mexico. By a large number of gold and silver flowing into Spain, it became the richest and most powerful state in Europe. However...
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