Second Great Awakening
12/16/13
The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a religious and social reform movement from 1820-1860. Inspired by religious optimism, economic progress and democratic spirit people thought they could better their personal lives and society as a whole. Many religious, women’s rights and antislavery movements occurred as a result of the Second Great Awakening. Religious reform during the Great Awakening was very important and sparked a lot of other movements. The new reformers were “mostly middle-class northerners and midwesterners. They propounded a bewildering assortment of radical ideas- extreme individualism, common ownership of property, the immediate emancipation of slaves, and sexual equality.” (Religion and Reform) Individualism was a new word coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, which was used to describe the American social world. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist in New England. Transcendentalism was the practice of wanting to “capture the passionate aspects of the human spirit and so gain deeper insight into the mysteries of existence.” (Religion and Reform) With that idea the focus became on the individual instead of the society as a whole. Emerson believed in the individual’s relationship with nature. Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman, also believed in a strong relationship with nature. He was a devout Christian who did not wear shoes, use money, and tended to his apple trees along the Northwest. He became a legend, but his story is true. He chose not to use money; he slept in the outdoors and stayed with friends when he needed to. Charles G Finney was another key factor in the Second Great Awakening. He believed in preaching to both genders, and was involved in the abolitionist movement. There were many religious groups that believed in equality of the genders, one them being commonly known as the Shakers. They performed rituals of dance to become closer to God. They believed that God was ‘a
The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a religious and social reform movement from 1820-1860. Inspired by religious optimism, economic progress and democratic spirit people thought they could better their personal lives and society as a whole. Many religious, women’s rights and antislavery movements occurred as a result of the Second Great Awakening. Religious reform during the Great Awakening was very important and sparked a lot of other movements. The new reformers were “mostly middle-class northerners and midwesterners. They propounded a bewildering assortment of radical ideas- extreme individualism, common ownership of property, the immediate emancipation of slaves, and sexual equality.” (Religion and Reform) Individualism was a new word coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, which was used to describe the American social world. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist in New England. Transcendentalism was the practice of wanting to “capture the passionate aspects of the human spirit and so gain deeper insight into the mysteries of existence.” (Religion and Reform) With that idea the focus became on the individual instead of the society as a whole. Emerson believed in the individual’s relationship with nature. Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman, also believed in a strong relationship with nature. He was a devout Christian who did not wear shoes, use money, and tended to his apple trees along the Northwest. He became a legend, but his story is true. He chose not to use money; he slept in the outdoors and stayed with friends when he needed to. Charles G Finney was another key factor in the Second Great Awakening. He believed in preaching to both genders, and was involved in the abolitionist movement. There were many religious groups that believed in equality of the genders, one them being commonly known as the Shakers. They performed rituals of dance to become closer to God. They believed that God was ‘a