The Great Awakening (B. 1)

Discover the Great Awakening! History worksheet on colonial religious revivals and their impact.

The Great Awakening: Read the passage and answer the questions below. The Great AwakeningThe Great Awakening was a religious movement that swept across England and her colonies in the mid-1700’s. As the colonies grew and life improved, some ministers became concerned that colonists were becoming too focused on worldly matters and the pursuit of wealth. The most famous of these ministers was Jonathan Edwards. Edwards was a minister in New England who felt his followers were losing touch with their Puritan heritage. Edwards gave fiery sermons from his pulpit. In 1741, he delivered a sermon known as, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which has since become a classic of early American literature. He spoke with such fury and conviction that people flocked from far away to hear his sermons. This religious revival helped to begin what eventually became known as the Great Awakening, which led to the growth of evangelical religious denominations, such as the Methodists and Baptists.Edwards eventually met George Whitfield, a minister from Britain who was traveling the colonies on a revival tour in 1739–1740. Whitfield was a former actor and would shout the word of God, weep with sorrow, and tremble with passion as he delivered his sermons. His tour attracted thousands to hear him speak across the colonies. He converted slaves and even a few Native Americans. Even religious skeptic Benjamin Franklin emptied his coin purse after hearing Whitfield speak in Philadelphia.Soon much of America became divided. Followers of Whitfield and Edwards became known as New Light preachers, and they set up schools and churches throughout the colonies. Princeton University in New Jersey is an example of one such school. However, more traditional Old Light ministers refused to accept this new style of worship. Despite the conflict, one surprising result was greater religious toleration and acceptance. With so many new denominations, it was clear that no one religion would dominate any region.As the American Revolution heated up, the Great Awakening started to fade. However, a Second Great Awakening began soon after the Revolutionary War and continued into the early 1800's.The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach. The overall message was one of greater equality. The Great Awakening was also a “national” occurrence. It was the first major event in which all the colonists could participate, regardless of their gender or wealth. The revival events helped to unify colonists around shared experiences and beliefs.The Great Awakening was an important cause of the American Revolution. Prior to the Great Awakening, ministers represented an important part of the governing hierarchy in the colonies. The king was the head of the Anglican Church (the Church of England). Anglican ministers were college-educated and appointed by the king. Evangelical preachers, on the other hand, could be ordinary people who felt moved by the Bible and wanted to spread the word. Colonists who chose to attend services delivered by preachers, rather than the king’s appointed ministers, were challenging both the religious and governmental order in the colonies. Click on the blanks and select the word that complete the sentences. The (1)Great Awakening was a religious movement that swept through the colonies. It led to the growth of (2)evangelical (emotional) religious denominations such as the Methodists and Baptists. One result of the new style of preaching was an increase in religious (3)tolerance. Revival events (4)unified colonists around shared experiences. The Great Awakening was an important (5)cause of the American Revolution. Evangelical preachers presented a (6)challenge to established ministers as well as the social and political order in the colonies. The Black Church with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. | Episode 1 | PBS The video clip below is an excerpt from a PBS program that premiered on February 16, 2021.Watch the video clip below, and then answer the questions that follow. The questions come from minutes 25:30 -29:08 in the video clip. 7. The First Great Awakening was a _ of the American Revolution. forerunner result 8. The camp meeting experience included active participation from the audience, including "call-and-response" singing. True False 9. Camp meetings allowed both black and white people to participate. True False 10. Camp meetings created a more egalitarian (equal) setting for worship services. True False