Benjamin Franklin prided himself on being an Enlightened thinker who valued science and reason. But after listening to George Whitefield deliver a sermon in Philadelphia, Franklin proclaimed that “it seemed as if the world was going religious.”
Franklin’s assessment was correct. During the 1730s and 1740s a religious revival known as the First Great Awakening swept across Britain’s thirteen North American colonies. The revival began when Jonathan Edwards delivered his famous “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon to congregations in New England.
The revival reached its peak with George Whitefield’s passionate sermons to large outdoor audiences. For example, Franklin estimated that 30,000 people heard Whitefield’s sermon in Philadelphia.
Whitefield’s listeners enthusiastically embraced his message of hope and salvation. Like other First Great Awakening preachers, he deemphasized ceremony and ritual. Instead, he preached that the true value of a person lies in the quality of his or her moral behavior. Rather than being predestined for damnation, men and women could save themselves by repenting and performing good works.
Far-reaching consequences
Whitefield’s impassioned message had far-reaching consequences for colonial society. His emotional approach divided America into “New Light” and “Old Light” Protestant denominations. The New Lights favored a spontaneous and emotional evangelical style of worship. In contrast, Old Light Puritans distrusted emotional outbursts and continued to favor traditional erudite sermons.
The split between New and Old Light Protestants led to divisions within the established Anglican, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches. These divisions created a religiously pluralistic society that supported toleration since no single denomination could impose its will on the others. This led to public support for America’s enduring principles of freedom of religion and separation of church and state.
Whitefield typically opened his sermons by pointedly addressing “all of you, high and low, rich and poor.” These inclusive words stressed a new notion of egalitarian democracy in which a person’s moral behavior counted for more than his or her economic status. As the First Great Awakening spread across America, it encouraged more women to participate in their congregations. It also inspired a missionary zeal that brought Christianity to the African slaves.
Unintended consequences
The First Great Awakening was first and foremost a religious revival. However, ti also had surprising unintended consequences. Historians estimate that as many as
80 percent of the people living in the 13 colonies heard one of Whitefield’s sermons. As the First Great Awakening message reached across lines of gender, race and class it became a common experience that helped forge a common “American” identity.
The First Great Awakening also had unintended political consequences. By insisting
that each congregation could choose its own minister, Whitefield and other preachers championed a new spirit of individualism. It proved to be a short step from the right of all people to actively participate in their religion to the right of all people to actively participate in their government. Questioning the authority of Old Light ministers prepared a new generation of Americans to challenge the authority of the British Crown.
So why should you remember the First Great Awakening? APUSH test writers stress that the First Great Awakening promoted the expansion of Protestant evangelism while also advancing greater religious diversity and toleration. Be sure that you are prepared to discuss how the First Great Awakening played a key role in the transformation of society in colonial America.