Mr. L APUSH - The First Great Awakening (updated)
Summary
TLDRThe Great Awakening, spanning 1730-1770 in the American colonies, was a significant religious revival that challenged traditional religious authority and sparked a wave of conversions to Christianity. It was a reaction to the Enlightenment, emphasizing human reason over religious dogma. Key figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield played pivotal roles with their powerful preaching styles. The movement divided the colonies into 'New Lights,' who embraced emotionalism and questioned colonial authority, and 'Old Lights,' who favored traditional practices. The Awakening led to new universities, increased religious diversity, and laid the groundwork for the American Revolution by advocating for separation of church and state and freedom of speech.
Takeaways
- 🕍 The Great Awakening was a religious revival in the American colonies from 1730 to the 1770s, with the most prominent period in the 1730s and 1740s.
- 🌟 It was a reaction against the Enlightenment, emphasizing a return to religious fervor and challenging traditional religious authority.
- 📚 The revival was facilitated by the spread of print culture, allowing ideas from Europe to reach the American colonies.
- 🔄 There was a shift from Puritan beliefs in predestination to a belief in salvation for all, leading to increased evangelicalism.
- 🤝 Key figures of the Great Awakening included Jonathan Edwards, known for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God', and George Whitefield, an itinerant preacher with a charismatic style.
- 🌐 Edwards and Whitefield were influential, with Whitefield traveling extensively across the colonies, while Edwards was based in New England.
- 💡 The Great Awakening saw the rise of 'New Lights', who supported the revival and its progressive views, and 'Old Lights', who were against it and favored traditional practices.
- 🏛 New Light supporters began to question colonial authority and the need for democratic views in society, contrasting with Old Light resistance to change.
- 🏫 The revival led to the founding of new universities, such as Dartmouth, Princeton, and Brown, and increased religious diversity.
- 🌱 It also saw more African Americans converting to Christianity and participating in religious life.
- 🔥 The Great Awakening helped to plant the seeds for the American Revolution and the push for independence from Britain, influenced by Enlightenment ideals.
Q & A
What was the Great Awakening?
-The Great Awakening was a progressive religious revival that spread throughout the English colonies in the Americas from 1730 to the 1770s, with the most prominent period being the 1730s through the 1740s. It was a revival of religious sentiments and increased importance in Christianity.
How is the Great Awakening connected to the Enlightenment?
-The Great Awakening was a reaction to the Enlightenment, which emphasized human reason and thinking over religious beliefs. The print culture allowed for the spread of Enlightenment ideas in the colonies, challenging traditional religious authority and leading to a revival of religious fervor.
What was the role of evangelicalism in the Great Awakening?
-Evangelicalism played a significant role in the Great Awakening by promoting a direct relationship with the Bible and encouraging individuals to spread the gospel. It led to a belief in salvation for all and a decrease in the importance of predestination and traditional religious practices.
Who were the two key figures of the Great Awakening?
-The two key figures of the Great Awakening were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Edwards is credited with starting the revival with his sermons, most notably 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' while Whitefield introduced a new, energetic style of evangelical preaching.
What was the significance of Jonathan Edwards' sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'?
-Jonathan Edwards' sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' was significant as it combined fire and brimstone with Enlightenment ideas, creating a powerful and almost scary sermon that contributed to the religious revival and challenged traditional religious authority.
How did George Whitefield's preaching style differ from Jonathan Edwards'?
-George Whitefield differed from Jonathan Edwards by being an 'itinerary preacher,' traveling extensively across the eastern seaboard. He believed that ordinary people could have profound religious experiences without the need for ministers, which was a departure from Edwards' more localized influence in New England.
What were the characteristics of the New Lights in the Great Awakening?
-The New Lights were supporters of the Great Awakening who believed in emotionalism, a less traditional approach to religion, and the importance of democracy. They questioned colonial authority and were more progressive in their religious views.
What were the characteristics of the Old Lights in the Great Awakening?
-The Old Lights were against the Great Awakening, resisting emotionalism and favoring traditional religious practices. They believed in maintaining the religious status quo as it was during the earlier colonial periods.
What were some of the impacts of the Great Awakening?
-The impacts of the Great Awakening included the formation of new light universities, the emergence of more branches of Christianity, increased religious diversity, and the conversion of more African Americans. It also led to the first unifying experience for the colonists and strengthened calls for separation of church and state.
How did the Great Awakening contribute to the American Revolution?
-The Great Awakening contributed to the American Revolution by fostering a sense of unity among the colonists, promoting democratic ideals, and challenging colonial authority. These developments laid the groundwork for the later calls for independence from Great Britain.
Outlines
🔥 The Great Awakening: Revival and Enlightenment
This paragraph introduces the Great Awakening, a significant religious revival that occurred in the American colonies from 1730 to the 1770s. It highlights the revival's connection to the Enlightenment, emphasizing the shift from traditional religious authority to a more individualistic approach to faith. The paragraph discusses the role of evangelicalism, which encouraged a direct relationship with the Bible and the spread of the gospel. Key figures of the movement, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, are introduced, noting their contributions to the revival. Edwards, with his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' and Whitefield, with his itinerant preaching style, are credited with influencing the Awakening. The paragraph also contrasts the 'Old Lights,' who resisted the revival and favored traditional religious practices, with the 'New Lights,' who embraced the revival's progressive and democratic ideals.
🏛️ Impacts of the Great Awakening on Society and Education
The second paragraph delves into the impacts of the Great Awakening on colonial society. It discusses the establishment of new universities, such as Dartmouth, Princeton, and Brown, which were influenced by the New Lights' emphasis on education and religious diversity. The paragraph also notes the increased conversion and involvement of African Americans in religion, reflecting the Awakening's role in unifying the colonies under a shared religious experience. The movement's challenge to traditional authority and its alignment with Enlightenment ideals, such as the separation of church and state and freedom of speech, are highlighted as precursors to the American Revolution and the push for independence from Britain.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Great Awakening
💡Enlightenment
💡Evangelicalism
💡Jonathan Edwards
💡George Whitefield
💡Old Lights
💡New Lights
💡Predestination
💡Religious Diversity
💡American Revolution
Highlights
The Great Awakening was a religious revival in the Americas from 1730 to the 1770s.
It was a reaction to the Enlightenment, emphasizing human reason over religious teachings.
The revival increased the importance of Christianity and challenged traditional religious authority.
The Great Awakening saw a rise in evangelicalism and a focus on personal salvation through the Bible.
Jonathan Edwards is credited with starting the Great Awakening with his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'.
George Whitefield introduced a new style of evangelical preaching, traveling extensively across the colonies.
Whitefield's charismatic preaching style had a profound impact, even influencing figures like Benjamin Franklin.
The 'New Lights' supported the Great Awakening, advocating for emotionalism and a less traditional view of religion.
The 'Old Lights' resisted the Great Awakening, favoring traditional religious practices and authority.
The Great Awakening led to the formation of new universities, such as Dartmouth, Princeton, and Brown.
It resulted in increased religious diversity and the emergence of more Christian denominations.
More African Americans became involved in religion during this period.
The Great Awakening was a unifying experience for the diverse colonies.
It strengthened calls for the separation of church and state, aligning with Enlightenment ideals.
The Great Awakening laid the groundwork for the American Revolution and the push for independence.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey folks mr law back here i put
together this video on the great
awakening which took place in the
americas from 1730 to the 1770s
in the in the english colonies so i'm
going to define the great awakening
explain how it's connected to to the
enlightenment what evangelicalism
was and the role that it played in the
great awakening and in colonial society
we're going to talk about two key
figures from the great awakening
jonathan edwards and george whitfield
and what their contributions were we're
going to compare and contrast the old
lights and the new lights and their
stance on the great awakening
and then we'll conclude by talking about
the impacts of the great awakening and
how it started to help to plant the
seeds for what later would be
revolution and independence
of the english colonies from great
britain
so the great awakening from 1730 to
1770s but the most prominent time period
was in the 1730s through the 1740s
the great awakening what was it it was a
progressive religious revival that
spread throughout the colonies where
many people were converted to
christianity so you have to remember
that early on in colonial period
religion was very very important and as
does typically happen
that importance kind of waned a little
bit and the great awakening was this
revival of religious sentiments
increased importance in christianity
challenges to traditional authority in
religion began to happen churches lost
some of their
authority it was a reaction to the
enlightenment which was happening in
europe at the time in the 17th century
and the 18th century where human reason
and thinking were paramount over
religious beliefs and the teachings of
the bible the print culture allowed for
people in america to get this
information from what was going on in
europe so they were able to follow the
enlightenment
beliefs and predestination the puritan
belief
became less important there was a belief
that salvation could happen
for everybody and you controlled your
own after life evangelicalism increased
people began to live directly through
the bible and tried to convince other
people to live a life that is dictated
in the bible there were many people that
were born again or quote saved and they
tried to spread the word of the gospel
to others
now two of the key individuals from the
great awakening were jonathan edwards
he's given credit for starting the great
awakening he is probably the most
popular or most important preacher in
american history his most well-known
sermon sinners hands of an angry god was
a combination of
fire and brimstone enlightenment ideas
tied in with religion very powerful
almost scary
type of a sermon this sermon was was
very important he was situated in
northampton
massachusetts and preached with a lot of
popularity in that region conversely
george whitefield introduced a new
energized style of evangelical preaching
from england he was what was known as an
itinerary preacher where he went around
the entire eastern seaboard and he said
that ordinary people didn't need
ministers in order to have tremendous
religious experiences he was a very
charismatic speaker
it was said that benjamin franklin heard
him speak and he literally emptied his
pockets with everything he had to give
to whitfield again he was all over the
country as opposed to john edwards who
was just
in new england both men were famous
throughout the colonies though for their
their part in the great awakening the
two most important figures in the great
awakening
new lights and old lights in the great
awakening the supporters were often
referred to as
new lights they believed in emotionalism
they were more progressive they took a
less traditional look at religion and
the power of the church
they believed that democracy and
democratic views were very important
part of society they began to question
colonial authority
like hey back in europe why are they
ruling us over here so among new lights
this type of a mentality
was pretty common old lights on the
other hand they were against the great
awakening they resisted this
emotionalism they favored more
traditional religious practices
they believed that religious had to go
back to the way it was during the
earlier colonial periods
some of the impacts of the great
awakening
new light universities were formed they
didn't go by these names at the time but
dartmouth princeton
and brown to name a few of them so
institutions of higher learning
more branches of christianity emerged
more denominations there was religious
diversity
more african americans became converted
and involved in religion remember that
the colonies were very diverse and
operated almost as their own individual
country so the great awakening was the
first unifying experience
for the colonists
also strengthened calls for separation
of church and state this was in the vein
of the enlightenment
freedom of speech all of these were
impacts
of the great awakening which a few
decades later would help to ignite the
american revolution and calls for
independence
[Music]
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