First Great Awakening

Quick Facts: Who was First Great Awakening?

Subject:

First Great Awakening

Known for:

A series of Christian revivals sweeping Britain and the North American colonies in the 1730s–1740s.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The First Great Awakening, sometimes called the Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival, was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestantism, adherents striving to renew individual piety and religious devotion. The Great Awakening marked the emergence of Anglo-American evangelicalism as a trans-denominational movement within the Protestant churches. In the United States, the term Great Awakening is most often used, while in the United Kingdom, the movement is referred to as the Evangelical Revival. Building on the foundations of older traditions — Puritanism, Pietism, and Presbyterianism — major leaders of the revival such as George Whitefield, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards articulated a theology of revival and salvation that transcended denominational boundaries and helped forge a common evangelical identity.

Career & Major Achievements

Revivalists added to the doctrinal imperatives of Reformation Protestantism an emphasis on providential outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Extemporaneous preaching gave listeners a sense of deep personal conviction about their need for salvation by Jesus Christ and fostered introspection y. Revival theology stressed that religious conversion was not only intellectual assent to correct Christian doctrine but had to be a "new birth" experienced in the heart. Revivalists also taught that receiving assurance of salvation was a normal expectation in the Christian life. While the Evangelical Revival united evangelicals across various denominations around shared beliefs, it also led to division in existing churches between those who supported the revivals and those who did not.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Opponents accused the revivals of fostering disorder and fanaticism within the churches by allowing the uneducated to be itinerant preachers and encourage religious enthusiasm. In England, Evangelical Anglicans would grow into an important constituency within the Church of England, and Methodism would develop out of the ministries of Whitefield and Wesley. In the American colonies, the Awakening caused the Congregational and Presbyterian churches to split, while strengthening both the Methodist and Baptist denominations. It had little immediate impact on most Lutherans, Quakers, and non-Protestants, but later gave rise to a schism among Quakers that persists to this day. Evangelical preachers "sought to include every person in conversion, regardless of gender, race, and status." Throughout the North American colonies, especially in the South, the revival movement increased the number of African slaves and free blacks who were exposed to (and subsequently converted to) Christianity.

Notable Quotes by First Great Awakening

“True Religion is a Union of the Soul with God ... It is Christ formed within us.”

“though I had fasted, watched and prayed, and received the Sacrament long, yet I never knew what true religion was”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: First Great Awakening

True or False: “The Great Awakening immediately caused a complete unification of all Protestant denominations in the American colonies.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Instead, it led to significant divisions within existing churches, such as splitting the Congregational and Presbyterian churches.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• First Hellenic Republic — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Provisional Greek state during the Greek Revolution, preceding the Kingdom of Greece.
• First Indochina War — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: French colonial war in Indochina (1946–1954) between France and the Viet Minh.
• First Intifada — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A sustained uprising involving protests and civil disobedience in occupied Palestinian territories (1987–1993).
• First Italo-Ethiopian War — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The 1895–1896 conflict where Ethiopia decisively defeated Italian colonial forces.
• First Ivorian Civil War — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A major civil conflict in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) spanning from 2002 to 2007.
• First Jewish–Roman War — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: The first major revolt against Roman rule in Judaea (66–73/74 CE).

Frequently Asked Questions about First Great Awakening