The Second Great Awakening By: Lakisha McGee

The Second Great Awakening was an epoch directed by reformers to protect the good of the nation. Charles G. Finney a lawyer who became a pastor and led the greatest revival in American history. Finney was determine to spread the idea of showing faith to God by doing good for society and acting with moral correctness. The Second Great Awakening implemented an important impact on American religious history and social reform. The Great Revival was a platform highlighting human perfectibility through the eradication of slavery(abolition movement), public sin of drunkenness (the temperance movement), prison and mental illness reform, education reform, the wake of religious agitation, antipoverty, and womens right movement. The evangelist doctrine encourage improving the American and to the religion congregational growth. The raised of the Baptist and Methodist congregation had become the most revivalist denominations and opposed slavery. Many abolitionists who were also religious activist argued slavery devalued Christianity values and must be eradicated in order to perfect human society. The Methodist seeks stiffened laws declaring if any Methodist who failed to comply with the antislavery proclamation within 12 month would endure expulsion. The church created regulations to eliminate the purchasing of salves except for the purpose of freeing them. The Baptist congregation also played a critical factor in the anti-slavery moment. Leland a Baptist activist for religious liberty, demand that religious liberty is extended to salves to be active participates in night revival meetings. He linked slavery and religious prosecution as twin examples of oppression. Leland introduced the antislavery policy to the Baptist Committee of

Virginia (1789). The state of association declared - Resolved that slavery is a violent deprivation of the rights of nature and inconsistent with a republican government; and we, therefore, recommend it to our brethren to make use of every legal measure to this horrible land & pray Almighty God that our honorable legislature may have it in their to proclaim the great Jubilee consistent with the principle of good policy. (Leland, 1789) But four years later, the Baptist of Virginia change their position on slavery and concluded slavery should be left to the individual to decide. South Methodist and Baptist denominations revised their position on slavery. The norms of society once again uplifted an institution recognized as evil into a system that was found justified. The slaves did managed to earn the right to religion fellowship, but will later earn their right to freedom after the Civil War. The movement attempted to achieve immediate emancipation of all slaves and the ending of racial segregation and discrimination. Most importantly, from these abolitionist movements came the womens rights movements. As a result of the Second Great Awakening doctrines and faith reform, many women begin seeking equal rights. The Evangelistic Era activity gave women peer support and place for
meaningful activity outside the home. The women's rights movement grew from female

abolitionists who realized that they too could fight for their own political rights. The revival movement generated the battled of women challenging the traditional roles in religion. Women fought against the evils of our world, and purify our country. The moral and political growth of reform, led to organization to improve society. Many women and advocates fought for reform of the prison system and mental illness rehabilitation programs. The realization of the importance of education emerged and many begin seeking an educational system that will serve the nation and not just elite members of society.

One of the most influential movement led mostly by women were the temperance movement; women encourage people to resist consuming alcohol and uplifted family order. The temperance movement was largely inspired by women and their concerns with the effect of alcohol. Alcohol was viewed as a vile substance that would convert ordinary men to a life of sin and apathy. The goal of the movement was to ban alcohol use entirely from the nation. Many women were left by their husbands who indulged in alcoholism. Families were destroyed by drunkenness. Women band together to denounce the use, and stop the damages it cause their families from its existence. As result, American Temperance Union was formed and women advocated the importance of family orientation. The Temperance activist did accomplished reducing the consumption of alcohol and understood their political and moral obligation to secure the blessing of liberty for America. In conclusion, the Second Great Awakening was the social platform of the many reforms that existence in America today. The Methodist and Baptist religion organization emerged swiftly and secured the political and moral grounds of reform in America nation. The Awakening addressed the moral corruption that invaded America after the Great Revolution. Recognizing the errors of our ancestors, many seek to change and this lead to many reforms. The abolitionist movement established the evil of slavery and later leading to the end of this institution. The religious change for the nation inspired the womens right movement later leading to the womens right to vote; and the temperance movement led to the reduction of alcoholism and strengthens family life. Leaders of reformers and abolitionists created organizations for social change and rehabilitation of prisons, asylums, orphanages, and transformation of the educational system. The Second Great Awakening was the beginning of reform.