Question
Answer both of the following questions in a single 1250-1750 word essay (typed, double-spaced, 10 or 12 point font, one-inch margins). Your essay must be based on all of the assigned readings and must be documented with Turabian style footnotes and bibliography. I expect your essay to show your mastery of all the assigned readings thus far this semester.
How did the Great Awakenings [notice the plural] change America ?
How did the existence of slavery fit into and shape American religious consciousness?
You will use three books listed in the attachments ALL OF YOUR REFERENCES IN THE ESSAY WILL COME FROM THE THREE BOOKS ATTACHED.
Solution
The Great Awakenings, Existence of Slavery and American Religion
The Great Awakenings in British American colonies occurred due to numerous religious events that happened over several decades. The uprising started in the early 17th century, had notable religious aspects, but its impact on America was huge than anyone would have anticipated[1]. Even though through links to English men such as George Whitefield and European Pietism, American colonies were close to European models, the Awakening encouraged a powerful questioning of the traditional authority promoting a unique America with unique ways of dealing with various issues such as uncertainty, tension, and national identity. Besides the Awakening, slavery that had already grown rapidly by the 17th and 18th centuries entered serious debates with evangelists like Whitefield, outlining that slave owners in the South were cruel but not condemning the act itself[2]. This paper will discuss the impact of the Great Awakenings on America and how slavery emerged as a serious issue in American religion, especially for evangelicals.
At first, the Great Awakenings had some institutional effects in America. From the First Great Awakening, the climate in the British American colonies changed after ordinary people were encouraged to connect with God personally without doing so through a minister. With the movement emphasizing the importance of the personal spiritual experience of religion, the higher authority of church doctrine was largely affected, specifically reduced[3]. As the religious climate transformed in the American colonies, the movement encouraged the rise of various Protestant denominations such as the Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists who abandoned infant baptism and encouraged adult baptism of converted Christians. As a result, the new Protestant groups gained many converts, and they increased competition for older Protestant groups such as the Quakers, Congregationalists who inherited Puritanism, and Anglicans who were Church of England members. Thus the older Protestant groups’ influence declined due to the uprising.
The Great Awakenings influenced the lives of thousands in the American colonies leading to a shared religious experience, especially in the 18th century. Furthermore, many new churches were built because of the Awakening, and they were filled with thousands of American converts. During the second wakening that is typically viewed as less emotionally charged than the first one that ended during the 1740s, mission societies, colleges, and seminaries were founding. The religious revival that began in the 1790s encouraged the building of new colleges such as Princeton, because, unlike the people in the previous movement, the ones in his uprising were more eager to train clergy who would continue to teach and support its principles[4]..…………for help with this assignment contact us via Email Address: consulttutor10@gmail.com
[1] Noll, Mark A. A history of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1992. (p. 76).
[2] Smith, Samuel C. “A Cautious Enthusiasm: Mystical Piety and Evangelicalism in Colonial South Carolina.” 2013. (p. 112).
[3] Noll, Mark, p. 80.
[4] Noll, Mark A. A history of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1992. (p. 126).