Religious Zeal and New Communities

By: Carrie Campbell and Milo Freese

Second Great Awakening

• Renewed and passionate interest in religion

• Occurred because economic growth and expansion of democracy (led to optimism)

Revivalist

• Participants in the large religious crowds and gatherings

• Joined in huge, religious crowds– Listened to sermons– Sang hymns – Sought gods help in reforming their life

• Influence because they believed people can attain salvation if sins were repented

Women during the Awakening

• Often led prayer groups

• Established and taught Sunday schools

Utopias

• A community created to make a perfect society

• Purpose: organize family life, property ownership and work

Shakers

• Believed Christ will reappear

• Difficulty recruiting people– No marriage– No children

Mormons• Members of the church of the latter-day saints

• Most enduring in utopias

• John smith– Claimed divine assistance enabled him to discover

and translate teachings

Transcendentalism

• Belief to rise above material things in life to reach a higher level of understanding

• Perfection could be reached with knowledge about god, themselves, and the universe

Unitarians

• Members of a religious reform movement

• George Ripley founded Brook farms – Created to get away from industry and closer to

nature