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The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment

            The English colonies of North America rarely interacted with one another. From the beginning, the Northern, Middle, and Southern colonies did not share a common historical path other than the fact that they were all claimed under the English flag. Finally, in the mid-18th century, there came a series of events that linked one colony to another; events in one place were beginning to directly affect other regions. Two of such early "national" events were the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment.
             The Great Awakening was a time period during which churches within the colonies were being "revived" or restored in religious enthusiasm. This movement brought many to repentance and caused many to change their lives. However, this movement did not affect everybody. Many members held onto the traditional practices, believing that no change was necessary for them. Those that accepted revivalism split off from the "old" churches and formed new denominations. This reflected the values of people variation and becoming one's own person. These values gave increase to religious tolerance and gave form to religious equality. One religious group could not have any less freedom than another. This truth was undeniable, so many throughout the colonies accepted it as it spread.
             Reverend George Whitefield's arrival in Georgia in 1738 caused a surge of religious zeal. His easily understandable style of speech enticed many to listen to him. His vibrant and emotionally charged messages helped people to realize how "dead" their churches were and see their need for changes in life. Although not everyone agreed with him along with the other revivalists, Whitefield disregarded sectarian differences when they formed and encouraged his listeners to do the same. .
             The Enlightenment was actually a European movement at first. Scientific findings by the likes of Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton made their way to America.


Essays Related to The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment

1. The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening

ESSAY 2: With the Great Awakening, came a disturbance in colonial culture, a competing epidemic known as the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was essentially the exact opposite of the Great Awakening. ... What many can ask is how can the Enlightenment have occurred during the same time as the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was all about religion, while the Enlightenment was all about the secular. ... The enlightenment and the Great Awakening clearly affected both the colonists and modern-day America. ...

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2. Great Awakening

Considered as revitalization, an "awakening" of religious devotion, thus called the "Great Awakening", the fear of the flames of hell swept through the American colonies, mainly in New England, between 1730-1745. Dominating Calvinist orthodoxy, which was the main religion that branched off into other sections before the Great Awakening, it divided the religious community internally, into "old lights" and "new lights", those opposed and those supportive of the Great Awakening; caused primarily by a decline in worship attendance, and Enlightenment rationalism. ... The period of Enlightenment...

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3. Enlightenment

Both the Enlightenment and Great Awakening periods enforced the importance of proper education for all. ... The Government implemented in both the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening greatly resembles some of the philosophies, which our nation is founded upon. ... Separation of church and state was also established during the Great Awakening. ... The foundation our democracy is set upon is obviously derived from the practices of the Enlightenment and Great awakening time periods. ... Much credit is due to the Enlightenment and Great awakening movements, which established these philosoph...

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4. The Great Awakening

The Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals that took the colonies by storm during the 1730's and 1740's. ... The supporters of the Awakening pointed to the apparent degeneration of Puritan values to explain the need for revival (The Great Awakening, pgs. 1-9). ... Many graduates became revival preachers in the Great Awakening (Famous Americans, n.pg.). ... The Great Awakening also influenced the call to missions, especially to the Native Americans. ... And lastly, the Great Awakening sparked a since of freedom and human righ...

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5. The Enlightenment

Upon its reception into the colonies, the Enlightenment had a tremendous impact. ... (Encarta encyclopedia) Enlightenment philosophers questioned the past and appealed to reason. ... Ironically, the failure of the colony can be associated with a cause of the religious revival, or Great Awakening of the 1700's. More than a series of ideas, the enlightenment became an attitude, altering the former way of life. ... Perhaps the greatest influence on Jefferson came from Enlightenment thinkers. ...

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6. Enlightenment

A change in America from the very beliefs that founded the country with European settlers, a change in the world that brought new understanding and logical thinking to the masses, a change so great that its effect has remained permanent throughout the centuries. ... (Porter, 105-116) The Enlightenment also created the goal of achieving perfection, and placed it within feasible reach of those who practiced Enlightenment thought. ... (American Enlightenment [2], 1) The rationalistic and logical thought of the Enlightenment was revolutionary for the time, for it questioned the sovereignty of Go...

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7. Enlightenment

A change in America from the very beliefs that founded the country with European settlers, a change in the world that brought new understanding and logical thinking to the masses, a change so great that its effect has remained permanent throughout the centuries. ... (Porter, 105-116) The Enlightenment also created the goal of achieving perfection, and placed it within feasible reach of those who practiced Enlightenment thought. ... (American Enlightenment [2], 1) The rationalistic and logical thought of the Enlightenment was revolutionary for the time, for it questioned the sovereignty of Go...

  • Word Count: 2303
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  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Historybullshit

The philosophies of Puritanism, the Great Awakening, and the Enlightenment provide much of the intellectual foundation for the establishment of the United States. The beliefs of these three different religious movements have proven to show great influence into the foundations of our government and our country in many ways. ... The Great Awakening was, in part, an emotional effort to reassert the earlier extreme piety over the rationalism and optimism of the Enlightenment. ... From the standpoint of a scholar of the Enlightenment at the college of William and Mary in Virginia in 1765, God, ...

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9. The Life and Teachings of the Buddha

Greatness seemed to permeate through Siddhartha's very existence, beginning even before birth. ... It is told that the purity of Siddhartha's birth was so great that it caused Mahamaya's death seven days later. After Siddhartha's birth, his father Suddhodana was visited by a great seer named Asita. ... The great pipal tree was later named the Bodhi, or enlightenment, tree because it was where Siddhartha Gautama sat motionless while pensively calculating the universe's mysteries trying to attain enlightenment.8 While in the midst of meditation, the demon Mara besieged t...

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  • Has Bibliography

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