The Great Awakenin

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What: •The Great Awakening was a religious movement that swept the colonies in the early 1700s.

•allowed people to express their emotions more openly in order to feel a greater intimacy with God

Religion became something of a pastime in which people would “go through the motions” during religious services without deeply-felt convictions of the heart and soul.

One powerful sermon by the famous Jonathan Edwards, called on colonists to examine their lives. He preached of the sweetness and beauty of God. At the same time, he warned listeners to heed the Bible’s teachings. Otherwise, they would be “sinners in the hands of an angry God,” headed for the fiery torments of HELL!”

In other words, England and the Colonies were becoming more and more detached from spiritual beliefs and values.

The Awakening’s biggest significance was the way it prepared America for its War of Independence. In the decades before the war, revivalism taught people that they could be bold when confronting religious authority, and that when churches weren’t living up to the believers’ expectations, the people could break off and form new ones.

Colonists came to realize that religious power resided in their own hands, not the Church of England, or the King

• Increased participation in ALL religions• Proclaiming salvation for all, not just those

predestined• Demand for more equality spiritually and politically• Connected the 13 colonies for the 1st time• Created educational opportunities• Roots of American Revolution- revivalism taught

people they could be bold, and break off from Churches they didn’t agree with as well as political authority.

1720:Estimated Religious

StatisticsNew England- 1 in 7 belonged to a churchMiddle Colonies- 1 in 15 belonged to a churchSouthern Colonies- 1 in 15 supported a church

Preached emotional, evangelistic sermons, stressing faith over reason.

1730s- Jonathan EdwardsBrought the Awakening to Massachusetts by preaching frightening sermons about hell.

1740s- George Whitefield of England made seven revival tours through the colonies, drawing crowds of 20,000 people

Colonial Colleges1. Harvard Congregational 1636 Cambridge,

Mass.

2. William and Mary Anglican 1693 Williamsburg, Va.

3. Yale Congregational 1701 New Haven, Conn.

4. Princeton Presbyterian 1746 Princeton, N.J.

5. Pennsylvania Non-denominational 1751 Philadelphia, Pa.

6. Columbia Anglican 1754 New York, N.Y.

7. Brown Baptist 1764 Providence, R.I.

8. Rutgers Dutch Reformed 1766 New Brunswick, N.J.

9. Dartmouth Congregational 1769 Hanover, N.H.

ID Question 10/1/12

The Great Awakening changed the lives of the colonies by