The First Great Awakening

The FirstGreat Awakening

Religious Revival (1730s-1740s)• EMOTIONAL

“Fire and Brimstone” Preaching

• Calvinist-influenced Human sinfulness inherent

• Social Divisions

Edwards

Questions to consider Why were colonists responsive to the preaching of Whitefield, Edwards, and others? Why were churches (including ministers) ready to adopt a more evangelical approach? What were the social, economic, and political conditions that might have had an impact on people at this time?

What was the Awakening? A series of religious evangelical revivals Led by itinerant preachers

◦ Emphasis on personal faith (instead of conformity to doctrine)◦ Taught “new birth” – religious experience – inspired by the “Word of God”◦ Spiritual conversion – reject sinful past – “born again”Emotional – weeping, fainting . . . Not formal, traditional worship of the past(emphasis on the individual, reliance on experience instead of authority, and mistrust of tradition)

The Important preachers

Theodore Freylinghuysen William and Gilbert Tennant **Jonathan Edwards **George Whitefield

Jonathan Edwards Northampton, Mass - Only son (10 sisters) – father was a preacher Took over the church – published A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God – an account of the extraordinary religious revival beginning in 1734 – considered the harbinger of the Great Awakening

Published Religious Affections – defended and criticized the movement He is considered one of America’s most important, most original philosophical theologians

(Was appointed president of Princeton University in 1758, but died of smallpox

Jonathan Edwards

Most famous sermon – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

◦Filled with imagery – religious belief◦Best known, but not typical of Edwards

George Whitefield Born in England – to America to preach (7 trips) Extremely popular – 1739 preached to 30,000 in Philadelphia Lively – dramatic – passionate Spoke out against established churches – preached about the spirituality of American slaves (spiritual freedom) Traveled form Georgia to New England – delivered over 18,000 sermons Admired by Benjamin Franklin

George Whitefield (1714-1770)

One of the greatest evangelists(Popularity compared to George Washington)

Resonating voice – theatrical presentation – emotional stimulation – message simplification – clever exploitation techniques

**Compared to modern televangelists

Opponents – “Old Lights”

Claimed evangelicalism distorted the gospel –

Symbolism – imp pouring inspiration in his ear – grotesque Fame listens

Devil raking in money below the podium

**lower left – followers proposition a prostitute – the caption reads “Their Hearts to lewd Whoring extend”

Eulogy – poem by 17 year-old slave – Phillis Wheatley

Will be freed – acclaimed as the “African poetess”(1st published black woman)

1st Great Awakening legacy

Lasted only a generation Legacy of theological disputes and divisions Creation of new colleges – Princeton, Brown, Rutgers – to train “New Light” ministers Ministry spread to the Southern colonies – Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist churches emerge Estimate – 75-80% of colonist were church members

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt57rFcpnr4 Great Awakening - - - - - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dk4-HBNWQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTDL8YrlIvg New for redesign

NYC - 1730

NYC - 1771

The Age of Enlightment

(Reason)Its purpose was to reform society using reason, challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and advance knowledge through the scientific method

The “Enlightenment” influenced

Benjamin Franklin and Thomas

Jefferson - - - it played a major role in

the American Revolution

Great emphasis on liberty, democracy,

republicanism, and religious tolerance

John Locke – the Father of Classical LiberalismHis “Enlightment” thinking influenced the American Revolutionaries – His liberal theory is reflected in the Declaration of Independence ( one passage from the Second Treatise is reproduced verbatim – the reference to a "long train of abuses.“)

Tabula rasa – the mind is a blank slate – we are what we experience – sensations and reflections the sources of ideas

In his Second Treatise he argues that the individual ownership of goods and property is justified by the labor exerted to produce goods beneficial to human society.

Locke’s political theory is based on social contract - everyone had a natural right to defend his “Life, health, Liberty, or Possessions“

Locke believed in a separation of powers in government (influenced the Constitution)

Religion - Although Locke was an advocate of tolerance, he urged the authorities not to tolerate atheism, because the denial of God's existence would undermine the social order and lead to chaos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjIwkvhGsoo

John Locke

Thomas PaineEnlightenment

PhilosopherEnlgishman to America in 1774 with Benjamin Franklin

Published – Common Sense (1776) – “best selling” book advocating Independence from Britain

The American Crisis (1776-83) – Revolutionary pamphlet series

“Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.” – John Adams

Was a Deist – Of the Religion of Deism Compared with the Christian Religion

Questions to consider Why were colonists responsive to the preaching of Whitefield, Edwards, and others? Why were churches (including ministers) ready to adopt a more evangelical approach? What were the social, economic, and political conditions that might have had an impact on people at this time?