AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
4.10: The Second Great Awakening
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 4.10 - The Second Great Awakening
Learning Objectives
- Explain the causes of the Second Great Awakening.
I. Causes of Religious Reform
1. What four major factors fostered the conditions for the Second Great Awakening?
2. How did the growing emphasis on democracy and individualism change American religious practice?
3. How did the market revolution contribute to increased religious fervor?
II. Revivals
1. Who were the early leaders of the Second Great Awakening and what message did they preach?
2. How did successful evangelical preachers differ from earlier religious leaders in their approach?
A. Revivalism on the Frontier
1. What methods did Charles Grandison Finney use to attract followers and why were they effective?
2. What message did Finney preach and why did it appeal to the rising middle class?
3. Why did western New York become known as the 'burned-over district'?
B. Baptists and Methodists
1. How did Baptist and Methodist circuit preachers spread revivalism across the South and frontier?
2. What was the result of Baptist and Methodist revivalism by 1850?
III. New Denominations
A. Millennialism
1. What belief about the end of the world drove much of the religious enthusiasm during this period?
2. What happened to William Miller's followers after his prediction of the second coming failed?
B. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
1. Who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and what unique beliefs did it teach?
2. Why did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrate westward and where did they settle?
3. What practice caused strong opposition to the Church and when was it officially prohibited?
IV. Reforms Backed by Religion
1. What social reform movements were sparked by the Second Great Awakening?
2. How did religious groups contribute to the success of antebellum reform movements?
Key Terms
Second Great Awakening
Timothy Dwight
revivalism
revivals
camp meetings
Charles Grandison Finney
millennialism
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Joseph Smith
Brigham Young
New Zion