Summary: Awakening In The Colonies

Revivalism in the Colonies “The Christian World is in a dead sleep. Nothing but a loud voice can awaken them out of it” (George Whitefield). A time of spiritual renewal, a time where the religious barriers were broken, a time known as the Great Awakening. This was such an important time in history, it swept the nation, and had a big impact on New England. When the Church of England was established as the Reigning Church of the country, the Great Awakening was put in motion. Religion became an unchanging routine, the people did not feel the connection to god anymore, so they began to put emotions into it, they spoke to god with their heart and soul. The Great Awakening was this time period of spiritual renewal, caused by tiresome religious
The colonists had this vision of freedom that caused them to stand up for themselves. People were now thinking for themselves, and had a mind of their own. If they did not like something the church was doing, or did not feel as if that church fit their beliefs, they would leave and find another one, or create new ones, simple as that. The colonists thought of themselves as being just as capable as their authorial figures. Jonathan Edwards, a man who congregated the idea that the most important impressions were the ones who felt god. According to Edwards, “Many pray with their lips for that for which their hearts have no desire” (2). This was what people wanted to change, they wanted to pray with their hearts, and have that emotional connection with their religion. This is what fueled the people’s intolerance with the churches. The people had such a short span, and had their own expectations of how they believed religion should be practiced. People began to question the churches they attended, and rebel against their own ministers. These actions by the people were not for nothing. These rebellious acts resulted in a change of power, it went from the clergy to the
This understanding allowed them to branch off from the Church of England and create their own churches. There were now churches for every denomination. People were choosing these little churches over the big churches. The main churches were losing followers, their numbers were dropping drastically. According to a study by Thomas Kidd, “there were 40% of American congregations as late as 1760, that number eventually dropped to under 2.5% by 1790” (1). The numbers were not going down because one person was fighting against it, but because the people as a whole found something better. That one perfect church did not exist anymore. People believed in the complexity and freedom that came with multiple churches, and multiple options. Since there were so many different churches with all kinds of different religions, it made it impossible for one church to be in control. The people now have control over their own religious faiths, and they no longer followed under one