The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival movement that occurred in the United States in the early 19th century. It began around 1790, peaked in the 1820s and 1830s, and ended in the late 1840s. The movement was characterized by a renewed interest in Christianity and an increase in church membership, particularly among Baptists and Methodists. Many new religious denominations were formed during this time, and the influence of the established churches declined.
Change in Beliefs
People began to believe that ordinary people should have a say in the government. They extended this idea into churches, and ministers now had to appeal to everyone else as their success depended on how much they appealed.
Calvinist (Puritan) teachings of original sin and predestination had been rejected by believers in more liberal and forgiving doctrines such as those of the Unitarian Church.
- Original Sin is the doctrine that holds that human nature has been morally and ethically corrupted due to the disobedience of mankind's first parents (Adam and Eve). The doctrine of original sin holds that every person born into the world is tainted by the Fall, and people are powerless to rehabilitate themselves unless rescued by God.
- Predestination is about God being in control of all that happens through history, including his choice of saving some people for himself, while allowing others to go their own way along the path of sin.
Emotional religious experiences became important because the Market Revolution caused their work and economic relationships to become less personal.
Charles Grandison Finney
Charles Grandison Finney, the best-known preacher of the Second Great Awakening, taught that sin was voluntary. He rejected the traditional Calvinist doctrine of predestination and believed everyone had the power to become perfect and free of sin. This emphasis on human choice and responsibility, rather than divine predestination, helped to make Finney's preaching particularly appealing to people who were seeking greater control over their own spiritual destinies.
Finney also advocated for social reform; he spoke against slavery and for woman's rights. He also saw that women could help convert their husbands and fathers.
He sought instantaneous conversions through a variety of new and controversial methods:
- Holding protracted meetings that lasted all night or several days in a row.
- Placing an “anxious bench” in front of the congregation where those in the process of repentance could receive special attention
- Encouraged women to pray publicly for the souls of male relatives.
- Sometimes listeners fell to the floor in fits of excitement.
The Legacy of the Second Great Awakening
Religiously, the Second Great Awakening led to a significant increase in church membership and the formation of new religious denominations. It also led to a more emotional and individualized approach to religion, as opposed to the more formal and intellectual approach of the previous era. This emphasis on personal religious experience would continue to shape American Christianity for decades to come and would influence the development of various new religious movements, like the Pentecostal and the Holiness movement.
The Second Great Awakening also touched on social reforms. This is how it differs from the first Great Awakening 100 years earlier, which focused on bringing people back to the church. Activist religious groups provided both the leadership and the well-organized voluntary societies that drove the reform movements of the antebellum period such as abolition, temperance, etc. Many of the leaders of these social reform movements were also religious leaders, and they used their pulpits to promote their causes.
Additionally, the Second Great Awakening led to the creation of many new colleges and universities, which helped to promote education and literacy in the United States. This led to an expansion of the middle class and helped to create a more educated and informed citizenry.
Baptists and Methodists
During the Second Great Awakening, both the Baptist and Methodist denominations experienced significant growth.
In the South on the western frontier, Baptist and Methodist circuit preachers, such as Peter Cartwright, would travel from one location to another and attract thousands to hear their dramatic preaching at outdoor revivals or camp meetings.
Highly emotional camp meetings were usually organized by Baptists or Methodists. In the southern backcountry, it was difficult to sustain local churches with regular ministers. The Methodists solved the problem with circuit riders.
The growth of these two denominations during the Second Great Awakening helped to shift the religious landscape of the United States, as membership in traditional churches like the Congregationalists and the Presbyterians began to decline.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
Joseph Smith of Palmyra, New York was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1830, he revealed that he had received, over many years, a series of revelations that called upon him to establish Christ’s pure church on Earth.
He published the Book of Mormon, a scripture in which he claimed to have discovered and translated with the aid of an angel. Basically, the Book of Mormon covers the following:
- It was the record of a community of Jews who left the Holy Land six centuries before the birth of Christ and sailed to the American continent.
- After his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ appeared to this community and proclaimed the Gospel.
- 400 years later, a civil war in the group annihilated the believing Christians but not all the descendants of the original Jewish migrants.
- One of those survivors contributed to the ancestry of the American Indians.
Smith and those who converted to the faith were committed to restoring the pure religion that thrived on American soil by founding a western Zion where they could practice their faith and carry out their mission to convert Indians.
In the 1830s, Mormons established communities in Ohio and Missouri. The one in Ohio went bankrupt and then later was the target of angry mobs. Smith led his followers back across the Mississippi to Illinois where he received a charter from the state legislature.
Smith then reported new revelations that caused hostility from neighboring people. The most controversial was the authorization of polygamy. In 1844, Smith was killed by a mob while being held in jail.
In 1845, Smith's successor, Brigham Young, decided to send a party of 1500 men to assess the chance of a colony in the vicinity of the Great Salt Lake. In 1846, 12,000 Mormons took to the trail. Young arrived in Salt Lake and sent word back on the trail that he had found the promised land.
Vocabulary
The following words are mentioned explicitly in the College Board Course and Exam Description for this topic.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| democratic beliefs | Ideals emphasizing popular sovereignty, individual rights, and representative government that influenced American society in the early 19th century. |
| geographical mobility | The movement of people from one region or location to another, including westward expansion and migration to urban areas. |
| individualistic beliefs | Philosophical ideas emphasizing personal autonomy, individual responsibility, and self-improvement that influenced American reform movements. |
| market revolution | The transformation of the American economy from subsistence farming and local trade to a national market economy based on commercial production and exchange. |
| rationalism | An Enlightenment philosophy emphasizing reason and logic as the primary sources of knowledge, influencing early 19th-century American thought. |
| Second Great Awakening | A Protestant religious revival movement in early 19th-century America that emphasized personal conversion and moral improvement, inspiring social and reform movements. |
| social mobility | The ability of individuals to move up or down in social and economic status within a society. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Second Great Awakening and when did it happen?
The Second Great Awakening was a widespread Protestant revival movement in the U.S. from roughly the 1790s through the 1840s, peaking in the 1820s–1830s. It reacted against Enlightenment rationalism and tied to social change from the Market Revolution and greater geographic/social mobility (CED KC-4.1.II.A.i; Learning Objective J). Key features: emotional revivalism, camp meetings, itinerant preachers (Methodist circuit riders), rapid Baptist and Methodist growth, Charles Grandison Finney, the “Burned-over District,” evangelicalism, and new benevolent societies—plus religious innovations like Joseph Smith and Mormonism. On the AP exam, expect questions about causes (democratization of religion, social mobility), effects (reform movements), and primary-source analysis. Review the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9), the Unit 4 overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4), and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history) to prep.
Why did the Second Great Awakening start in America?
It started because big social changes made people look for new spiritual meaning. The Market Revolution, growing social and geographic mobility, and expanding democracy and individualism undermined older, elite-led churches and Enlightenment rationalism—so many Americans turned to emotional, democratic forms of Protestantism (revivalism). Itinerant preachers, camp meetings, and frontier revivals (especially in the “Burned-over District”) met the needs of mobile, newly market-connected communities. Leaders like Charles Grandison Finney pushed a democratization of religion: salvation felt personal and active, not mediated by elites. That mix of social upheaval + evangelical methods produced rapid Methodist and Baptist expansion, new benevolent societies, and movements like Mormonism (Joseph Smith). For AP exam prep, link this to Learning Objective J: explain causes of the Second Great Awakening (see Fiveable’s topic study guide) (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9). For broader review and practice Qs, check the unit overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4) and practice bank (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
How did the market revolution cause religious changes in the early 1800s?
The market revolution reshaped everyday life—faster transportation, commercial farms, wage labor, and more geographic mobility—which changed how people thought about themselves and religion. Economic change promoted democratic and individualistic beliefs (a key cause in the CED for Topic 4.10), so religion shifted from formal, elite-led worship to emotional, personal salvation. Itinerant preachers, camp meetings, and frontier revivals (think Methodist circuit riders and Charles Grandison Finney) met mobile communities’ needs, spreading evangelicalism across the “Burned-over District.” Market-driven social mobility also encouraged the democratization of religion: new denominations (Baptists, Methodists) grew, and benevolent societies and reform movements linked faith to social improvement. For AP purposes, focus on causation: connect specific market-revolution changes (mobility, commercialism, changing work) to revivalist tactics and democratic religious practices (LO J). Review the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and try practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
What's the difference between the First and Second Great Awakening?
The short version: both were Protestant revival movements that used emotional preaching and mass conversions, but they happened in different times, places, and had different causes and effects. First Great Awakening (1730s–40s) - Leaders: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield. - Features: transatlantic revivalism, emphasis on personal conversion and predestination (Calvinist roots), challenged established churches and elite authority. - Impact: renewed piety and some democratizing of religious life in colonial towns. Second Great Awakening (early 1800s–1840s) - Leaders/figures: Charles Grandison Finney, Methodist circuit riders; spawned Mormonism (Joseph Smith). - Features: frontier revivals, camp meetings, itinerant preachers, huge growth of Baptists and Methodists, stronger democratization of religion and evangelicalism. - Causes: reaction to Enlightenment rationalism, market revolution, social/geographic mobility. - Impact: inspired benevolent societies and reform movements (temperance, abolition, women’s reform). On the AP exam you’ll often see comparison or causation prompts—practice framing differences in causes, methods (local vs. frontier/camp), and social effects. For this topic study guide and drills, check Fiveable’s Topic 4.10 guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9), unit review (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4), and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
I'm confused about how democratic beliefs led to more religious revivals - can someone explain?
As democratic and individualistic beliefs spread after 1800, people began to treat religion like a personal choice instead of a top-down institution—so revivalism fit perfectly. The Market Revolution and greater mobility moved people into new towns and the frontier, where established churches weren’t strong. Itinerant preachers, Methodist circuit riders, and camp meetings brought emotional, accessible evangelical worship to those places (frontier revivals, camp meetings). Leaders like Charles Grandison Finney used revival techniques that treated conversion as an individual, voluntary decision—matching democratic ideas about equality and self-determination. That “democratization of religion” helped Baptists and Methodists expand, especially in the Burned-over District of New York, and fed reform energy (benevolent societies, moral improvement). For the AP exam, this connects directly to Learning Objective J—explain causes of the Second Great Awakening. For a focused review see the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and try practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
Who were the main preachers and leaders during the Second Great Awakening?
Main leaders and preachers in the Second Great Awakening you should know for APUSH: - Charles Grandison Finney—the most famous evangelical revivalist, led huge revival meetings in the “Burned-over District” and promoted revivalism and moral reform (temperance, abolition). - Methodist circuit riders—itinerant preachers (e.g., Francis Asbury earlier, many unnamed riders later) who spread Methodism across the frontier, fueling Baptist expansion and democratizing religion. - Baptist itinerants and frontier preachers—local charismatic preachers who led camp meetings and frontier revivals (examples include Peter Cartwright). - Lyman Beecher and Timothy Dwight—influential clerical leaders and educators who defended revivalism and shaped Protestant moral reform. - Joseph Smith—founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), an important new religious movement born from the Awakening. These figures tie directly to CED keywords (revivalism, camp meetings, itinerant preachers, Burned-over District, democratization of religion, Joseph Smith). For a quick topic review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9). Practice questions are good for exam prep (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
How did camp meetings and revivals actually work during this time period?
Camp meetings and revivals were large, often multi-day outdoor religious gatherings led by itinerant preachers (Methodist circuit riders, Baptist preachers, or evangelicals like Finney). People from farms and frontier towns camped, sang, and heard passionate, emotional sermons that stressed personal conversion, repentance, and the possibility of immediate salvation. Preachers used plain language, dramatic storytelling, and “altar calls” where individuals publicly came forward to be converted. Music, communal testimony, and social mixing made these events intense and democratic—women, working-class people, and new migrants could participate visibly. Revivals helped spread evangelicalism across the Burned-Over District and fueled reform energy (temperance, abolition, benevolent societies). On the AP exam, use revivals as evidence of the democratization of religion and social change in Unit 4 (Topic 4.10). For a focused review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
What role did social mobility play in causing the Second Great Awakening?
Social mobility helped cause the Second Great Awakening by unsettling people’s place in society and making religion more personal and portable. As the Market Revolution and westward movement increased social and geographical mobility, many Americans left old community ties and class roles behind. That loosened traditional religious authority and made revivalist, emotional forms of worship—camp meetings, itinerant preachers, and Methodist circuit riders—appealing because they traveled with people and emphasized individual conversion and democratic faith (CED: rise of democratic and individualistic beliefs; greater social and geographical mobility). Revivalism also offered a moral framework for rapid change and a sense of upward possibility: revival converts could remake themselves morally and socially. For AP prep, connect this causal chain (market changes → mobility → religious democratization/revivalism) when writing short-answer or LEQ responses. See the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and Unit 4 overview (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4) for review; practice questions are at (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
Why were Protestants specifically affected by the Second Great Awakening and not other religions?
Protestants—especially evangelical denominations like Methodists and Baptists—were most transformed by the Second Great Awakening because the movement fit their theology and social situation. Revivalism emphasized personal conversion, emotional preaching, and individual salvation (Charles G. Finney, camp meetings, itinerant preachers), which matched Protestant beliefs in personal faith and allowed laypeople to lead. The Market Revolution, greater geographic and social mobility, and rising democratic/individualistic ideas made frontier and urban Protestants open to revival-style, decentralized worship (Methodist circuit riders, Baptist expansion, the “Burned-over District”)—all CED keywords. Other religions (Catholics, Jews) had smaller, more institutional or immigrant-centered communities and liturgies less built for mass revival, so they weren’t as swept up. For AP review, focus on causes in Learning Objective J and details in the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9). Need practice Qs? See Fiveable’s Unit 4 resources (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4) and practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
How do I write a DBQ essay about the causes of the Second Great Awakening?
Start with a clear thesis that answers “why” the Second Great Awakening happened (e.g., reaction to Enlightenment/rationalism, effects of the Market Revolution, and increased social/geographic mobility). In your intro add contextualization: post-1800 market changes, frontier expansion, and democratization of religion. During the 15-minute reading, group the documents into causes (religious—revivalism/Finney/camp meetings; economic—market revolution; social—frontier mobility, benevolent societies). Use at least four documents to support your argument, and bring in 1+ piece of outside evidence (Methodist circuit riders, Burned-over District, Joseph Smith, or expansion of Baptist/Methodist churches). For two docs, analyze POV/purpose/audience (e.g., an itinerant preacher vs. a newspaper account). End by showing complexity: multiple causes interacting (economic change amplified religious democratization). Follow AP DBQ rules: thesis (1 pt), contextualization (1 pt), use ≥4 docs (2 pts), outside evidence (1 pt), sourcing for ≥2 docs (1 pt), and complexity (1 pt). For topic review, see the Fiveable study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and use practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
What were the long-term effects of the Second Great Awakening on American society?
The Second Great Awakening had lasting social and political effects: it democratized religion (revivalism, camp meetings, Finney, Methodist circuit riders) and made evangelical Protestantism a powerful force on the frontier and in the Burned-over District. That democratization fostered voluntary benevolent societies and reform movements—temperance, abolitionism, women's rights, and prison/education reform—because revivalist emphasis on individual moral responsibility translated into social improvement projects. It also aided the growth of new religious movements (e.g., Mormonism) and increased civic engagement among women and the working class. For the AP exam, connect these long-term effects to KC-4.1.II.A.i (democratic/individualistic beliefs + market revolution) and use specific examples in DBQ/LEQ evidence. Review the Topic 4.10 study guide for concise examples and primary sources (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and practice applying them with Fiveable’s AP practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
How did rationalism and the Enlightenment lead to a religious backlash in America?
Rationalism and Enlightenment ideas emphasized reason, science, and skepticism of tradition—which made many Americans worry that religion was losing authority. Combined with the Market Revolution, greater social mobility, and democratic/individualistic beliefs, this created anxiety that traditional moral order was eroding. The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant backlash: revivalism, camp meetings, itinerant preachers (like Charles G. Finney), and Methodist/Baptist expansion pushed an emotional, evangelical faith that reasserted personal salvation and moral discipline. Frontier revivals and the “Burned-over District” show how religious leaders reshaped religion to fit democratic, mobile communities. For AP exam framing, this directly addresses Learning Objective J (causes of the Second Great Awakening) and uses CED keywords like revivalism, evangelicalism, market revolution, and democratization of religion. For a focused study guide, see Fiveable’s topic page (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
I missed class - what exactly caused people to become more religious in the early 1800s?
A bunch of social changes made religion boom in the early 1800s. The Market Revolution and more social/geographic mobility broke old community ties and created anxiety—people looked for new moral order and personal meaning. Popular democratic and individualistic ideas also pushed religion toward personal conversion and emotional faith (revivalism) as a way to express individual choice. Frontier conditions (lack of formal churches) plus itinerant preachers and camp meetings—think Methodist circuit riders and revivalist Charles Grandison Finney in the “Burned-over District”—made large, emotional revivals common. Those revivals spread evangelicalism, helped Baptists and Methodists grow, and spawned benevolent societies and new movements (e.g., Joseph Smith). These causes are exactly what AP CED Learning Objective J wants you to explain. For a focused rundown and exam tips, check the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9)—and practice more with Fiveable’s AP practice problems (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).
How did geographical mobility contribute to religious revivals in this period?
Geographical mobility helped spark the Second Great Awakening because people were moving into new places (westward and into growing cities) where old community ties and established churches were weak. Itinerant preachers (Methodist circuit riders, Baptist ministers) and camp meetings met mobile populations on the frontier and in towns—revivals offered emotional, personal religion that fit democratic and individualistic beliefs coming out of the Market Revolution. Frequent relocation and mixed populations made revivalism effective: camp meetings created temporary religious communities, evangelicals like Charles Grandison Finney used persuasion that worked on socially mobile audiences, and the “Burned-over District” shows how migration + market change produced intense revival activity. For AP tasks, this is a clear causal explanation you can use for contextualization and short-answer/LEQ evidence (use terms like revivalism, itinerant preachers, camp meetings). For a focused review check the Topic 4.10 study guide (https://library.fiveable.me/ap-us-history/unit-4/second-great-awakening/study-guide/tR4UP1gR5yZZRsp6w0v9) and practice questions (https://library.fiveable.me/practice/ap-us-history).