1. +
Religious Movements and
Developments (1800-1850)
By: Emily Corts and Logan Inscore

2. +
Introduction
 Alexis de Tocqueville, when speaking of America, said, “no
country in the world where the Christian religion retains greater
influence over the souls of men than in America.” This seemed
to hold true as, by 1850, about three-fourths of the 23 million
Americans attended church on a regular basis.
 The religion of the colonial days was gone; Americans no
longer believed in the traditional Christian beliefs. This change
in thinking spurred on the Second Great Awakening.

3. +
The Second Great Awakening
 Beginning in about 1800, the movement was a reaction against
liberalism.
 While it started on the southern frontier, the movement quickly
spread to the Northeast and across the country. It resulted in many
conversions, reorganized churches, and new sects.
 Membership increased most heavily in the Methodist and Baptist
churches. These churches stressed personal conversion,
democratic control of church affairs, and emotionalism.
 The Second Great Awakening was one of the most momentous
episodes in the history of American religion. It also encouraged
evangelicalism, which resulted in great change in areas such as
prison reform, the temperance cause, the women’s movement,
and the crusade to abolish slavery.

4. +
The Second Great Awakening
(continued…)
 “Camp meetings” were a device used to spread the Second Great
Awakening. During these meetings, as many as 25,000 people
would gather to listen to the “hellfire” gospel be preached by
peripatetic preachers. Those who listened to these messages
were often overcome with rolling, dancing, and jerking. Despite
many of the “saved” returning back to their old ways, the
conversions increased church membership.
 Peter Cartwright (1785-1872) was a well-known Methodist
preacher who travelled about the frontier during the Second Great
Awakening.
 Charles Grandison Finney was a venerated revival preacher. He
led revivals in Rochester and New York City in 1830 and 1831. He
opposed the use of alcohol and the practice of slavery.

5. +
The Second Great Awakening
(continued…)
 One of the key parts of the Second Great Awakening was the
feminization of religion. Women were very important to the
Second Great Awakening because they yearned for a revival of
religion. They were the majority of new church members. They
were given the responsibility of bringing their husbands and
families to God. They also founded charitable organizations.
Women felt it was their responsibility to save their society.

6. +
The Second Great Awakening
(continued...)
 As a result of the Second Great Awakening, the more conservative and
thriving denominations in the East were not greatly impacted by the
movement. The wealthy and educated continued to grow the Episcopalian,
Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Unitarian churches. The South and
West contributed most to the enthusiasm for religious revival. Many members
of the Methodist and Baptists churches, as well as new sects, were not as
affluent.
Denominational Growth

7. + Deism was a belief of liberal doctrine that
relied on reason and science as opposed
to revelation and the Bible. Deists rejected
the idea of Christ being the Son of God.
While they believed in a Supreme Being,
they reject the concept of sin. Stemming
from this belief, Unitarianism emerged.
People of this particular faith believed that
God existed in only one person. It stressed
the basic goodness of human nature. The
Emerging Unitarian movement was grasped by
Denominations intellectuals such as Ralph Waldo
Emerson.
Deism
Ralph Waldo
Emerson

8. + Millerites or Adventists formed in the
1830’s in Western New York. The name
Millerite was derived from William Miller.
Their interpretation of the Bible was that
Christ would return on October 22, 1844.
When Jesus did not appear on the date
they believed he would, the movement
lost its fervor, but was not completely
destroyed.
Emerging
Denominations William Miller
(continued…)
Millerites (or Adventists)

9. + The southern Baptists and southern
Methodists emerged after disagreements
with their northern counterparts, especially
over the issue of slavery. In addition, the
Presbyterians in the North and South also
split.
Emerging
Denominations
(continued…)
Southern Baptists/ Methodists/
Presbyterians
Issue of Slavery (Pre-Civil War)

10. + In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints emerged. The religion
was created by the Native Americans. The
Mormons accused Americans who were
individualistic and proponents of free
enterprise. They were accused of
practicing polygamy. After the death of
Joseph Smith, the first leader of the
Mormons, Brigham Young took over.
Emerging Under his leadership, the Mormons
Denominations thrived. He married as many as twenty-
(continued…) seven women during his lifetime.
Mormons Brigham Young

11. The Black population during the 1800’s was
+ rooted in evangelicalism. Throughout the
Second Great Awakening, the Baptists and
Methodists converted a large number of
African Americas. After deciding they did not
fit in well with the way whites worshipped, the
African Americans formed their own
denominations. The African Methodist
Episcopal Church was founded in 1815 by
Richard Allen. Around 30 years later, the
church had grown to over 17,000 members.
Emerging
Denominations Richard Allen
The African Methodist Episcopal
Church

12. +
Sources…
 David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A. Bailey, The American Pageant: A History Of The
Republic (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006), 13 Ed., 320-324.
 The Library of Congress, “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic,” The Emergence of the African
American Church. July 23, 2010, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel07.html..
 “Baptist Organization and Growth in the 1800s”. December 21, 2008,
http://www.freesundayschoollessons.org/historical-theology/baptist-organization-and-growth-in-the-1800s/.
 “Ralph Waldo Emerson”. http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ralph-waldo-emersion-41.php.
 “Pioneer Gallery and Biographical Sketches,” Brian Miller. http://www.aplib.org/Gallery.htm (May 30, 2011).
 “Slave Wars”. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/slavery.htm (May 7, 2011).
 Candace, “Brigham Young Testifies of Joseph Smith, Jr.” December 19, 2007,
http://leaders.ldsblogs.com/1125/brigham_young_testifies_of_joseph_smith_.
 “Pennsylvania,” Richard Allen. http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/pa_ra.htm (September 24,
2009).

13. The End