The Great Awakening [APUSH Review]
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Homeless History,' we delve into the Great Awakening, an 18th-century religious movement that swept through the American colonies. The video explores the religious landscape of the time, highlighting the Congregationalists of New England and the Anglicans of other colonies. It discusses how religious fervor waned over generations, setting the stage for revival. Key figures like Jonathan Edwards, known for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' and George Whitefield, an itinerant preacher, are featured. Their powerful preaching styles ignited a spiritual fire, unifying the colonies under a shared religious experience and identity.
Takeaways
- 📜 The Great Awakening was a significant religious movement in the 18th-century American colonies, marking a revival of religious fervor.
- 🏛️ New England colonies were predominantly Congregationalist, while other colonies like New York and Maryland were Anglican, and some had no state-supported church.
- 📉 Over time, the religious intensity of the colonists waned, with ministers feeling their congregations had become complacent and less fearful of divine judgment.
- 🔥 The Great Awakening began in the 1730s and 1740s, primarily in Northampton, Massachusetts, with Jonathan Edwards being a key figure.
- ⭐️ Jonathan Edwards was known for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' which was influential in igniting the revival, despite its terrifying message.
- 😇 Edwards also preached on the joy of Christianity, emphasizing happiness and hope in his sermon 'Christian Happiness,' which contrasted with his more famous fiery sermons.
- 🌟 George Whitefield, an itinerant English preacher, played a crucial role in spreading the Great Awakening across the American colonies with his emotive preaching style.
- 😢 Whitefield's preaching led to intense emotional responses from his listeners, including crying, barking, and other fervent displays of religious experience.
- 🇺🇸 The Great Awakening was America's first mass movement, unifying the diverse colonies under a shared religious experience and fostering a sense of common identity.
- 📖 Whitefield's sermon 'The Almost Christian' further illustrates the emotional appeal and the call to a deeper commitment to faith that characterized the Great Awakening.
Q & A
What is the Great Awakening?
-The Great Awakening was a significant Christian revival movement that occurred in the 18th-century American colonies, characterized by an increase in religious enthusiasm and a renewed commitment to personal salvation.
How did the religious fervor in the New England colonies change over time?
-The religious fervor in the New England colonies began to wane as new generations grew up, leading to a decline in the intensity of religious commitment and a perceived 'softening' of the congregations.
Who was Jonathan Edwards and what is he known for?
-Jonathan Edwards was a prominent preacher during the Great Awakening, known for his powerful sermons that resonated with the people and ignited a spiritual revival. His most famous sermon is 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'
What is the message of Edwards' sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'?
-The sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' emphasizes the terrifying nature of God's wrath towards sinners, using vivid imagery to evoke a sense of urgency and repentance among listeners.
What is the contrast between Edwards' sermons 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' and 'Christian Happiness'?
-While 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' focuses on the fear of divine judgment, 'Christian Happiness' centers on the joy and happiness that can be found in Christian faith, suggesting that believers can find happiness in the assurance of God's favor.
Who was George Whitefield and what was his role in the Great Awakening?
-George Whitefield was an English itinerant preacher who played a significant role in the Great Awakening by traveling extensively and delivering emotionally charged sermons that moved listeners to repentance and spiritual renewal.
Why was Whitefield's preaching style effective despite his physical appearance?
-Whitefield's preaching style was effective because of his ability to deeply move his audience with his words, despite his physical appearance, which included a 'crazy eye' from a childhood illness.
What was the impact of the Great Awakening on the American colonies?
-The Great Awakening had a unifying effect on the American colonies, creating a sense of shared experience and common identity among the diverse population, which was previously fragmented by regional and religious differences.
What is the significance of the Great Awakening as a mass movement in American history?
-The Great Awakening is significant as it was one of the first mass movements in American history, demonstrating the potential for large-scale social and religious change and setting a precedent for future movements.
What is the message of George Whitefield's sermon 'The Almost Christian'?
-In 'The Almost Christian,' Whitefield emphasizes the importance of complete commitment to God, suggesting that any degree of piety neglected or act of devotion omitted could hinder one's spiritual growth and ultimate enjoyment of God's presence.
Outlines
🔥 The Great Awakening and Religious Revival in Colonial America
This paragraph discusses the Great Awakening, a significant religious movement in the 18th-century American colonies. It highlights the religious diversity among the colonies, with Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire being predominantly Congregationalist, while New York, Maryland, and others were Anglican. The paragraph emphasizes the decline in religious fervor over time and the emergence of the Great Awakening in the 1730s and 40s, led by preachers like Jonathan Edwards. Edwards is known for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' which, despite its terrifying imagery, was effective in resonating with the people and igniting a spiritual revival. The paragraph also contrasts this with Edwards' earlier sermon on Christian happiness, suggesting a more balanced view of his preaching. The Great Awakening is portrayed as a unifying force among the diverse American colonies, providing a shared experience and identity.
🌟 The Impact of the Great Awakening on American Identity
The second paragraph delves into the broader implications of the Great Awakening, describing it as the first mass movement that brought a sense of unity and common identity to the American people. It contrasts the fragmented nature of the colonies, each with its own distinct goals and directions, with the unifying effect of the religious revival led by preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. Whitfield's emotive preaching style, despite his physical peculiarity, moved crowds to tears and marked a significant cultural and religious phenomenon. The paragraph concludes with an excerpt from Whitfield's sermon 'The Almost Christian,' which underscores the emotional appeal and spiritual yearning that characterized the Great Awakening, further solidifying its role in shaping a collective American consciousness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Great Awakening
💡Congregationalists
💡Anglican
💡Jonathan Edwards
💡George Whitefield
💡Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
💡Christian Happiness
💡Itinerant Preacher
💡Religious Ferment
💡Pulpit
💡Shared Experience
Highlights
Introduction to the Great Awakening, a significant religious movement in the 18th-century American colonies.
The New England colonies were established as religious havens, leading to a diverse range of Christian denominations.
Religious fervor among colonists began to decline over time, with ministers becoming concerned about the 'softness' of their congregations.
The Great Awakening, starting in the 1730s and 40s, was a response to the waning religious passion and sought to reignite it.
Jonathan Edwards, a preacher from Northampton, Massachusetts, is credited with initiating the Great Awakening with his powerful sermons.
Edwards' sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' is infamous for its terrifying depiction of divine wrath.
Despite his reputation, Edwards also preached on the joy of Christianity, as seen in his sermon 'Christian Happiness'.
George Whitfield, an itinerant English preacher, played a crucial role in spreading the Great Awakening across the colonies.
Whitfield's emotive preaching style moved crowds to tears and was said to be so powerful that it could make people weep with just a word.
The Great Awakening represented the first mass movement in America, unifying the population through shared religious experience.
The movement helped to create a sense of common identity among the American people, despite the differences between the colonies.
The impact of the Great Awakening was not just religious but also social, as it helped to shape a collective American identity.
The sermon 'The Almost Christian' by George Whitfield encapsulates the emotional appeal and spiritual longing of the Great Awakening.
Whitfield's call for a deeper commitment to holiness and piety resonated with many, reflecting the movement's emphasis on personal spiritual growth.
The Great Awakening's legacy is seen in the enduring influence it had on American religious and cultural life.
Transcripts
welcome back to homeless history today
we're going to talk about Jesus
specifically that great religious
movement that occurred in the 18th
century colonies known as the Great
Awakening
time to kick it old school now you'll
recall that the New England colonies
were very religious seeing as how they
were established as religious havens for
those who wanted to worship freely if by
diversity you mean different flavors of
Christianity and I do okay here's how it
broke down Massachusetts Connecticut and
New Hampshire were all
Congregationalists Christians New York
Maryland North Carolina South Carolina
and Georgia were all Anglican which is
to say Church of England and then you've
got the people of Rhode Island New
Jersey Delaware and Pennsylvania who had
no state supported Church but were still
plenty religious now as it often goes
the religious fervor of the colonists
began to wane as time went on and new
generations grew up it wasn't uncommon
to hear a parishioner talk about the
dead dog drowning in the pulpit about
whatever he was drowning on and on about
and the minister got upset because their
people had gone soft and they were no
longer terrified by the fiery threat of
hell anymore so the stage is set for
what was perhaps America's greatest
Christian revival namely the Great
Awakening it began in the 1730's and 40s
in Northampton Massachusetts under the
preaching of the greatest preacher that
America has ever produced
Jonathan Edwards now if you've ever
heard his name before you probably
associate it with his most famous sermon
sinners in the hands of an angry god and
because of that Edwards has gotten the
reputation in American history as some
kind of hellfire and brimstone preacher
who just wanted to scare the poo out of
everyone who was listening to him so
that they believed in Jesus and okay
first of all I'm not going to deny that
sinners in the hands of an angry god is
altogether terrifying and poo inducing
for example here's one of the most
famous passages in the sermon in which
he addresses sinners directly the God
that holds you over the pit of hell much
as one holds a spider or some loathsome
insect over a fire abhors you and is
dreadfully provoked his wrath towards
you
burns like fire and he looks upon you as
worthy of nothing else but to be cast
into the fire okay that's scary but it
was also effective and powerful and
beautiful and the people to whom Edwards
was preaching they were not used to
hearing appeals to their hearts and it
resonated with them and they repented
and a fire got lit in their guts and
they were filled with zeal now if that's
the only Edwards sermon you've ever
heard indulge me for a second because I
just have to introduce you to one other
one that might balance sinners in the
hands of an angry god out in fact this
was the first sermon that Edwards ever
preached when he was 18 years old the
title of the sermon is Christian
happiness and his thesis in the sermon
is Christians should be happy okay why
is that well here's his outline three
parts number one our bad things will
turn out for good number two our good
things can never be taken away from us
and number three the best things are yet
to come
ah it's so good it's so good I love it
so Jonathan Edwards stood in the long
line of Puritan preachers he wasn't a
Puritan himself technically because of
when he lived but he was certainly in
their tradition and what he did was to
crack open the hearts of his people and
plant joy in them and they grew up into
it now another preacher who was
responsible for helping alight the Great
Awakening was an Englishman who was an
itinerant preacher which means he
traveled around and preached not like
Edwards who stayed in Northampton his
name was George Whitfield now in every
picture of what field that you see he's
got this one crazy eye that he got as a
result of a childhood illness measles
probably and you would think that
because of that crazy eye he wouldn't be
all that effective everybody'd be just
looking at the crazy eye and saying I
can't hear anything you're saying
because of that crazy eye
but when Whitfield opened his mouth the
crowds dropped to their knees one of
England's greatest actors even said that
George Whitfield could make an entire
crowd weep just by saying the word
Mesopotamia furthermore this actor said
that he would pay handsomely if owned
he could say the word Oh like George
Whitefield oh I love it
Oh Jonathan Edwards preached mainly
within the bounds of his own church
walls and the fire came down there but
Whitfield went around and preached
anywhere that he could in the fields and
the streets and the crowds were cut to
the heart by his preaching and they
exhibited this really crazy behavior
like barking and rolling around on the
ground and shrieking and crying
uncontrollably so up and down the
eastern coast of America the fire had
been lit and what's significant about
the Great Awakening for our purposes is
that it was the first mass movement of
the American people I mean it's hard to
get ourselves into the mindset of an
18th century American I mean they were
not a unified Bunch to say the least
each colony was like its own
nation-state and they all had their own
aims and they all have their own desires
they all had their own goals and mostly
they were pointing in different
directions but along come Edwards in
Whitfield and all the other preachers
should begin to imitate their emotive
style of preaching and you've got a
significant portion of the population
who are now caught up in a mass movement
which gives them the sense that the
American people are now one people
who've had a shared experience and a
common identity and now if you'll
indulge me as we end I'm going to leave
you with a passage from one of Georgia
Whitfield's very famous sermons called
the almost Christian and I want you to
hear the appeal to the heart and why it
must have awaken to so many people let
me therefore to conclude exhort you my
brethren to have always before you the
unspeakable happiness of enjoying God
and think with all that every degree of
holiness you neglect every act of piety
you omit is a jewel taken out of your
crown a degree of blessedness lost in
the vision of God Oh
but to the contrary be daily endeavoring
to give yourselves up more and more unto
Him you will always be watching always
praying always aspiring after farther
degrees of purity and love and
consequently always preparing yourselves
for a fuller sight and enjoyment of that
God in whose presence there is fullness
of joy and at whose right hand there are
pleasures forevermore
amen and I'll see you next time
Mesopotamia
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