While the Enlightenment appealed to many scholarly colonists, the Great Awakening excited many. Having to deal with many political and economical conflicts, some congregations lost their enthusiasm for their religion. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield helped start something that changed the settlers. While Edwards read his sermon, Whitefield decided to use his background in theater to lead intensely emotional revivals. Listeners were captivated by his dramatic sermons and became known as the "New Lights". Don't you agree that a dramatic performance far succeeds a person reading a piece of paper in most situations?
Word spread of this Great Awakening, but not everyone agreed with the new Pietistic movement. Charles Chauncy was one of them. He spoke out against women being allowed to speak in public saying that it is blasphemous. The feminizing of the churches drove many men out. In turn they created their own semi-secret societies. The social tensions and frustrations that started the Great Awakening brought a number of other conflicts among colonists. Although, there were some positive things like Princeton, Brown, Rutgers and other colleges that came about during this time.
Can you relate this to your life or think of an event recently that has opposing sides, but good and bad came out of it?
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9 comments:
I can understand why the more educated and "upper" class men did not agree with much of the Great Awakening movement. They were the ones with the authority and power in the churches but were losing this to women and "lower" class men.
I think one of the main reasons that upper class men were angry at the churches for allowing women and even slaves to join the ceremony is because the churches provided a kind of education. Who would want their slaves to know about the bible and freeing slaves like the story of exodus.
Due to the fact that the upper class men thought of themselves as better than anyone that was not in the same social status as them, I think that men were angry that the lower class people were able to attend the ceremonies because it placed women and slaves in the same stature as them, brought the upper class male down to their "level." Which is why I believe that they sectioned off and created "secret societies".
I understand that upper class was upset with this movement, especially with slaves being included in the Methodist/Baptist churches, but why did they try to exclude them from their religion? Instead of excluding them wouldn't it had been a better idea to convert them to their religion like the French did to the Native Americans?
The whole idea of the Great Awakening with the more dramatic preachers reminds me a lot of what is seen at youth rallies today. Speakers do everything they can to get an emotional response from their crowd; they want to keep their crowd interested.
The Great Awakening was one steps of the steps towards our self governing colonization to break away from the hrone of England
Yes, a dramatic preformance is better than just reading a piece of paper if your really trying to move someone emotionally. It makes me think of those preachers on TV doing everything they can to move someone. And I think that one of the reasons that the upper class men did not like having women in church is because they felt they were being brought down to a slave's/lower class level. They might have felt that the church is for the rich only.
I agree with Joe W. I could think of stories in the Bible that would have inspired some to rise up and defend their rights as an individual. I can imagine how empowering it would have been in those times to finally be told that you had power over your own soul and salvation.
I would have to agree with most of the posts. The upper class men would definately be opposed to the Great Awakening. I mean who would be? You have all the power, and see yourself as superior to others, and all of the sudden your world is rocked. You no longer appear to have any kind of authority. Although I personally agree that this was a good thing for the nation, it is understandable that these elites were not happy.
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