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Chapter 12
Afire with Faith
1820–1850
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Describe the evolution of evangelical Protestantism and how it became the dominant
form of Christianity in the United States.
• Explain the effect of revivalism on American society in the Jacksonian era and beyond.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The rise of democracy in the Jacksonian era was only one indication of a deeper impulse to
improve American society. Equally important were the various reform movements of the period.
These grew out of the religious changes that began on the frontier around the turn of the century
and were first seen in camp meetings such as the revival at Cane Ridge, Kentucky (Chapter 9).
The revivalists’ new methods of converting “sinners” (as well as reformers’ more direct attempts
Not by coincidence, women dominated church membership and played a critical role in the
reform movements of the period. Also no coincidence was that many leaders of reform were
inspired by a millennial vision of Protestant Christianity.
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THEMES
The Transformation of American Evangelicalism
The Second Great Awakening represented the final repudiation of Calvinism and the doctrine of
predestination. In their place, revivalists led by Charles Grandison Finney preached the doctrine
Revivalism and the Social Order
Women made up the greater number of converts at revivals. Women’s roles in society
increasingly centered on the home and the family—the ideal of domesticity. Denied employment
Visionaries
An intellectual movement that began in Europe, Romanticism emphasized the unlimited
potential of each individual. Like the revivals, it viewed emotion as a source of truth.
Romanticism stimulated the emergence of a distinct American literature that wrestled with
Some reformers turned to utopian communities to build a model society for the rest of the world
to follow. Many of these communities, like the Shakers, were based in religion; others, like the
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Abolitionism and Women’s Rights
In the long run, the most important humanitarian reform movement of the period was
abolitionism. Inspired by free African American, David Walker, William Lloyd Garrison, a
Abolitionism attracted considerable support from women who were active in church work. They
observed many parallels between the oppression of women and slaves in American society but
also balked at the open discrimination against women in abolitionist circles, which prompted the
Reform Shakes the Party System
Increasingly, reformers turned to political action. Advocates of temperance, the antislavery
movement, and women’s rights all sought to achieve their goals by passing legislation. The
LECTURE STRATEGIES
The Second Great Awakening
Students not only need to confront questions of motivation, they need to understand the
emotional and intellectual worlds out of which evangelicalism sprang. To encompass them in
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Millennialism
All but the most evangelical students will be ignorant of the millennial aspects of Christian
theology, which the chapter introduction on Beecher has taken some time to introduce. You may
Revivalism and the Market Economy
The relationship between revivalism and the new market economy is a question worth exploring
American Romanticism
The beliefs of Romanticism are equally difficult to present succinctly. Paul F. Boller’s American
Transcendentalism provides one starting place; Gay Wilson Allen’s biography, Waldo Emerson,
Humanitarian Reform Movements
Humanitarian reform movements attracted more support and had greater influence on society.
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examination of the accomplishments and failures of the abolitionist movement, and its
significance in American history.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
The Second Great Awakening and American Protestantism
In terms of the religious background of reform, it may be useful to focus on the Second Great
Awakening. In what ways did it complete the process begun by the First Great Awakening?
The “Cult of Domesticity”
The question of “women’s sphere” may provoke useful debate. In an age when feminism is more
commonly taken for granted and career choices are wider, students may disdain all too easily the
notion of a “cult of domesticity.” Discussion should try to bring out why the ideal arose at this
Freedom and Control
The chapter returns frequently to the theme of freedom and control. Historiographically, these
two qualities have been often set against one another, some historians seeing reform essentially
in terms of social control, others in terms of liberation. The issue sparks so much heat because, in
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The Impact of Reform Movements
A good way to conclude is to consider the achievements and failures of reform, and how the
movements under discussion differed from later reform periods. Since these reformers set such
POWER OF PROCESS FOR PRIMARY SOURCES
Power of Process for Primary Sources is a critical thinking tool for reading and writing about
primary sources. As part of Connect History, McGraw-Hill Education’s learning platform, Power
of Process contains a database of over 400 searchable primary sources in addition to the
capability for instructors to upload their own sources. Instructors can then select a series of
strategies for students to use to analyze and comment upon a source. The Power of Process
framework helps students develop essential academic skills such as understanding, analyzing,
and synthesizing readings and visuals such as maps, leading students toward higher order
thinking and writing.
The following primary source documents, carefully selected by the authors to coordinate with