The Second Great Awakening and Utopian Societies

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The Second Great Awakening and Utopian
Societies
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The Second Great Awakening

• Around 1800 1830s
• Revival of the Great Awakening of the early 18th
  century
• Emphasis on personal piety over schooling and
  theology
• One of most famous ministers was Charles Finney

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Forming New Denominations

• A religious movement during the 19th century
  which expressed that every person could be saved
  through revivals
• Led to the formation of new denominations
• Surge in church membership of Methodists and
  Baptists

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Where did it begin?

• Arose in several places
• New England social activism
• New York growth of new denominations
• Appalachian region (KY and TN) energized
  Presbyterians, Methodists and Baptists
• Camp meetings
• First in South-Central KY in June 1800

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Main Reason for Revival

• Revivals effects consisted of two main strains
• The virtues and behavior of the middle class a
  strong work ethic, frugality were encouraged
• The ability of individuals to make changes to
  their lives sparked reform movements

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Creation of the Bible Belt

• The movement spread through southern OH, KY, and
  TN
• Among Baptists, ordinary farmers frequently felt
  they were called by God to become preachers
• The Bible Belt of the South was born

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Lasting Legacy

• The Second Great Awakening left a lasting impact
  on American Society
• Established Churches
• Social Reform

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Utopian Societies

• In the early 1800s, more than 100,000
  individuals formed utopian societies
• Utopian Society Ideal or perfect society
• 1820-1860 large attempt to create numerous
  communities that would serve as perfect societies

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Belief Systems

• The people that formed these communities believed
  that the way to a better life was to separate
  themselves from the corrupting influence of the
  larger society
• Practiced cooperative or communal living and
  rejected the idea of private property

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Different Groups Found within Utopian Societies

• Mormons
• Oneida Community
• The Shakers
• New Harmony
• Brook Farm

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The Shakers

• Located in several states
• Got their name from a ritual shaking dance that
  members performed
• Reached their peak in the mid-1800s with 6,000
  members

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Beginnings

• Began in England in 1747
• Led by Ann Lee Mother Ann
• Lee moved with her followers to America in 1774
• The community quickly grew

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Beliefs

• Believed in absolute celibacy
• Eventually, the numbers dwindled
• 3 Shakers left today
• Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg,
  KY living history museum

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Brook Farm

• Community near Boston
• Based on social or political ideologies
• Founded by George Ripley in 1841
• Harmony with nature, communal living, and hard
  work

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The End of Brook Farm

• Collapsed in 1846 after a huge fire destroyed a
  large building that was uninsured
• The Farm could not continue
• Influential in fights for womens and labor rights