American Studies Commons^™

The Great Awakening And The Coming Of The American Revolution, Kerry E. Irish

Faculty Publications - Department of History and Politics

The “Great Awakening” was a Christian revival of the mid-Eighteenth century. Dozens of travelling preachers, famous and obscure, along with local ministers, called colonial Americans to a stronger and deeper Christian faith. The Great Awakening was also a trans-Atlantic event. Charles and John Wesley were leaders of the awakening in England. But it was in America where the movement would have its most profound expression and impact. For the Great Awakening, along with the philosophic and scientific developments of the Enlightenment, transformed American culture socially and politically, setting the stage for the American Revolution.