Religion In The Great Awakening

The Great Awakening traces back to seventeenth century England, where political climate led to a decrease in spirituality. The Puritans had grown in number ever since Charles the Second assumed the throne, who had also agreed to join the French to oppose Holland and bring Catholicism back to England. While James the Second was the next king, much of the Anglican clergy were accommodating to the new monarchs, but they started to gravitate away from the extremes. This gave England a period of superiority and good feelings for a while, as religious minority groups such as Catholics, Jews, and Unitarians were suppressed through severe punishments. Near the end of the century, Methodist groups centered on personal significance of the gospels.