The Great awakeningRoots to Revolution

The Great Awakenin

g:

Causes Effects

What was the great awakening?

Powerful religious revival that swept

through the colonies in the 1720s

Jonathan Edwards

Cau

ses

• The religious fervor that caused colonists to leave England for the chance of freedom of religion in the New World had died out

• Preachers, like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, see a for a religious revival focused on beliefs, rather than going through the motions of church

• People begin to become more aware of the importance of religion in their lives

• Revival sweeps through colonies in 1720

Eff

ects

• New religious groups form: Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians

• Belief that “all people are equal in the eyes of God” becomes more accepted

• Was a “National” event: first major event all 13 colonies could share

• American colonists become more willing to challenge the authority of the British government before the Revolution