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Rebecca T Oshinbanjo
Dr. Chavez
History 1301
10 October 2015
The Great Awakening
The great awakening was a religious movement that brought about
freedom and independence for both black slaves and free people. At this
time, Religion was a foreign movement in which various parts of the world
went through a religious fundamentalism.
Jonathan Edwards in the 1720s and 1730s was an emotional and
inspiring preacher. When he preaches, his congregation who were inspired
would shout what shall I do to be saved, I am going to hell. Jonathan
Edwards preached about the new birth and the repentance of sin as the only
way to be saved and escape going to hell. His preaching were highly
emotional and inspiring that made a lot of people joined his congregation
and many souls were converted to Christianity through his emotional
preaching.
In 1739, another inspiring preacher called Whitefield arrived in
America. In his own preaching, he would tell his congregation to search their
heart and answer the question of wether they were saved or not. If not, he
would encourage them to turn from their old ways and accept Christ in their

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lives. His preaching promotes lives been saved rather than been condemned
to eternal damnation. For this reason, he gained a huge congregation.
Critics of Whitefield began to arise as they started writing on
magazines and pamphlets that he lack the spiritual knowledge of
Christianity. He was made to face the law and before he could overcome all
the challenges, his congregation who had been inspired had spread to
various parts to preach about the acceptance of Christ. Some inspired
women also went into the ministration work breaking the domination of men
in the preaching thing.
Religion became pluralistic and democratic as people had the choice to
choose their own preferred way of communicating with the spiritual being
and the freedom of saying their own believe was available. There were
various churches such as Baptist and Methodist existing in various parts of
the world and bible became the most highly produced material at that time.
Churches began to criticize the law taxing churches and various
movement were made by the churches to stop taxation and encourage
religion. Some household/slave owners freed their slaves as they now believe
that they were brothers in Christ. Some inspired slaves were also able to go
into ministration and were able to convert lives. The great awakening
brought independence.

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References

Foner, Eric. "SLAVERY, FREEDOM, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EMPIRE." Give Me Liberty!: An
American History. Seagull 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014. 150, 151, 152. Print.
The Great Awakening is all about religious movement all around the world. It talks about how
Christianity became flexible that brought the rise of various ministrations and how it brought about
freedom to slaves and independence to the people of America. The likes of Whitefield, Jonathan
Edward and some other inspiring preachers brought freedom and independence. This people were
able to make region simpler for the people as they teach them a different way of communicating with
the spiritual being which was somehow different from the cumbersome way of the catholic. The
preachers made both slaves and free people realize their place in the site of God and opened their
eyes to the danger of having human beings as slaves which led to the freedom of most slaves. It
also open way for people to be able to air their opinions and interests when churches began to
protest against the law that requires taxes from the churches. I used this passage for my history to
explain one of the ways in which slaves gained their freedom during the slavery era and how religion
brought about freedom of speech to the people of America.