Why did social improvement happen more quickly during the Second Great Awakening?

1 Answer
Nov 21, 2017

The second great awakening was not tied to existing social structures and increases literacy rates, made reading the bible more accessible to people.

Explanation:

The second great awakening was lead by itinerate Baptist and Methodist preachers like Charles Finney. These spiritual leaders did not have ties to the existing social structures. Not tied to a local church meant that the itinerate peaches did not have to support the local politics. The Baptist and Methodist movements were not part of the established social power structures of the colonies and were free to challenge the existing structures.

The First Great Awakening had stimulated an interest in learning how to read. A result was the establishment of schools open to all classes of people. By the time of the second great awakening literacy was at very high level. This made reading the Bible accessible to more people, who could then decide what the Bible meant instead of accepting what the established social structures said it meant.

Unlike the establishment church services the revival camp meetings welcomed blacks, and women to participate. The participation of blacks in the second great awakening stimulated the abolitionist movement. The participation of women created a desire for women suffrage.

As the Bible was read by the people Biblical concepts that had been suppressed were understood and followed. The Second Great Awakening preacher exhorted the people to obey Bible rather than societal rules. Blacks realized that only Canaan of the sons of Ham had been cursed not all Blacks. Gen 9:25 Women saw that in Christ all were created equal and demanded equal rights. Gal 3:28

Because the leaders of the second great awakening were not tied to the existing social structures they were free to challenge the societal norms on the basis of Biblical principles. Because all people were free to attend the meetings and read the Bible for, blacks, women, poor people were challenged to make changes in society.