LITR 4231 Early American Literature Sample Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 2

Matthew Trcezinski

The Great Awakening: Revival of Faith

          When looking at religion in North America, one cannot forget about the First Great Awakening was an evangelical and revitalization movement that swept through the American Colonies during the 1730’s and 1740’s. I find this interesting because I am not your typical religious person so when I read about religious revivals that made a major impact on so many people it shows to me that religion is an integral part of people lives. And one of the most prolific people that helped in the revival was Jonathon Edwards and his sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, which was written in 1741 was instrumental in the revival. Which brings into question as to why the Great Awakening had such a dramatic impact on everyone.

          When people describe to me why their faith is so important to them I really do not understand it, because unlike most people I am a Wiccan and I will admit I am lax in my own faith. So I do not believe in one God, and when I tell people this they kind of shy away and have called me names. I do not discriminate against any religion and when reading about how the Great Awakening brought people’s faith back to the forefront it shows that people need to believe in a higher power to help them through the troubles of their lives. So looking at how Jonathan Edwards was instrumental in this revival with his sermons that told everyone that nothing God himself would keep the wicked men and women out of hell is a testament to how power his sermons must have been. The Great Awakening started in Northampton, Massachusetts and was started by Jonathan Edwards, yet he was not the only one who helped spark the Great Awakening, George Whitefield also helped because of his reputation as a great orator helped draw in large crowds of people.

          Because of such great men that helped spark and cultivate the Great Awakening it helped people regain their faith in God and this revival. Reading what Maxson wrote saying that “thousands and thousands were given by the Great Awakening a new view of life’s values” (Maxson 139) and that it gave direction to “the whole American people” (Maxson 139), shows just how much of an influence the Great Awakening had on the people of the American Colonies. Reading this shows that people are more resilient to changes that might have otherwise destroyed their faith from the old ways that religion used to stifle the spirit.

          When looking at how many people were brought back to their faith, or found their faith during the Great Awakening is all conjecture because there are no accurate records to say how many people were converts, but Joseph Tracy writes that possibly within two to three years thirty to forty thousand were added to the churches in New England. Yet when looking at it is a fairly large number and that is just a rough estimate. And this is just talking about the First Great Awakening, subsequently there were a total of four Great Awakenings, but the first was the one that had the most dramatic of impacts upon the people of America.

          When starting to look at this research post, I did not really know what to expect. As I said faith has really never been a large aspect of my life, yet after doing the research and seeing just how much people rely on their faith and seeing the power that the Great Awakening had on so many thousands, if not millions, of people is a testament to those powerful speakers that preach their faith to those that feel as though they have been lost and used these power speakers to bring themselves back into the fold. It shows me that faith and God play an integral role in the lives and hearts of so many people.

"First Great Awakening." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Great_Awakening>.

Maxson, Charles Hartshorn. The Great Awakening in the Middle Colonies. Whitefish, Mont.: Kessinger Pub., 2007. Print.

Tracy, Joseph. The Great Awakening. Arno Press & The New York Times. New York. 1969. Print.

White, Craig. "terms & themes." terms & themes. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/hsh/whitec/terms/G/GreatAwake.htm>.