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Kingdom Of Matthias Analysis

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Kingdom Of Matthias Analysis
Some called him a madman, others viewed him as a prophet. The Kingdom of Matthias is the story of Robert Matthews who deems himself as “The Spirit of Truth” and persuades others to partake in his unorthodox beliefs (Wilentz and Johnson, p.5). During the first half of the 19th century many parts of the United States were in turmoil as the Second Great Awakening begins to unfold. The Kingdom of Matthias takes place during the Burned-Over District which refers to an area in western New York during the 1820s through 1830s in which evangelical movements were prominent as damnation preaching prevailed which lead to new religious denominations, communes and reform movements. Robert Matthews was not always unconventional in his religious thinking. …show more content…
It grew partly as a backlash of the materialism of the market revolution and partly from a charismatic lawyer turned preacher that conducted a revival in Utica, New York named Charles G. Finney who got people thinking. Finney argued against the Calvinist God that controlled the destiny of human beings. He told congregations that they were “moral free agents” who could obtain salvation through their own efforts (Johnson and Wilentz, p. 70). His revivals lead to the establishment of many reform movements. The one thing that all religions agreed upon was to refine humanity and abolish bad practices such as prostitution, alcoholism, gambling and lotteries. During this time, women began seeing their role differently. A “cult of true womanhood” emerged as women entered into the workforce to help maintain a middle class, yet they were paid lower salaries and not allowed to vote. Women were portrayed in books and pictures as being the gentle force in the family, but also being in charge (Keene, …show more content…
At first the police concluded that Pierson died of natural causes, but the public thought that something criminal had happened when they realized the commune was engaging in “free sexual activities.” It was suggested that Pierson was poisoned by Matthias. Matthias hired a prominent lawyer and his loyal servant, Isabella Van Wagenen, (later known as Sojourner Truth) defended Matthias. Matthias was never convicted of murder and theft, but did go to prison for four months on lesser charges of contempt of court and assault of his own daughter (Johnson and Wilentz, p.11). The Kingdom of Matthias had been
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