The Second Great Awakening, also known as the Great Revival, changed not only the upper class, well-educated people’s perspective of religious teachings, but also the lower and less wealthy class. This Great Awakening was not specific to any area of America, but it was mainly active in the Northeast and Midwest. This awakening brought to attention the rights of people, including women and slaves, and abstinence from alcohol. This lead to people making decisions in their life and becoming more aware of the politics and the corruptness of the south.
Charles Grandison Finney was a leader in the Second Great Awakening because of his religious views against the abolition of slavery and rights for women. He is known as The Father of Modern Revivalism. He lived in the North and his political views clearly reflect that. As a Presbyterian minister, revivalist, and …show more content…
Passages like "slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling" (Ephesians 6:5), or "tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect" (Titus 2:9) made slave owners think it was okay to enslave humans. They didn’t think there was anything wrong with it due to the fact that slavery dated back all the way back to when Jesus was alive. However, Christians who opposed slavery, focused on the positive values in the bible. Such as love, justice and equality.
The slaves, of course, had their own secret church gatherings. Their preachers had to be literate to understand the Bible and interpret it for the other illiterate slaves. Their stories were said to be of wanting liberty and redemption. Their community was very strong and they created the most sincere and powerful prayers. It also granted the slaves a bit of relief believing that there is a God crafting a special purpose for each and every one of them. Each and every one of them wanted the freedom the civil war could bring