Second Great Awakening & Market Revolution PDF

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Dorm life: Everyone is an itemized individual- what do you bring to the table? Two important consequences: 1. We start talking in statistical language about everything 2. We start evaluating people/societies/government/etc. in terms of utility (utilitarian conception of things) a. Middle ages you are deemed a child of God, utilitarian world if you can’t bring anything to the table there’s no reason to keep you around b. Mechanical conception of the body/world works well i. How we cure diseases, put people in orbit ii. Can lead to existential despair- what are we really? iii. Person is random conjunction of chemicals- world can be viewed as entirely meaningless 3. Second Great Awakening a. 1800 to 1850 b. Huge expansion in number of churches and membership i. Lord calling you to the world- every person has it’s place ii. New kind of religion/Christianity iii. Emphasizes community relationships iv. The creation of artificial communities- emphasize is not on “come get saved”, not going to teach the bible v. Second great awakening preacher is preaching about the value of community c. Major shift away from Calvinism i. Calvinists believe in pre-destination ii. Puritans iii. Self righteous d. Rise of Evangelicalism i. Publically committed to reforming your life ii. Asylum movement iii. Find the evils and reform them iv. Free will v. Salvation open to all vi. Human agency vii. Duty to evangelize, save souls, hasten the millennium e. Missionaries sent to save “heathens” living in “darkness” around the world i. Asians ii. Africans iii. Native Americans iv. Deaf people 1. Cannot hear the word of the lord f. Second Great Awakening i. Free will ii. Human agency

1. Moral free agents who could get salvation through their own efforts iii. Salvation open to all g. Market Revolution (American myth-not open to all) i. Individualism ii. Social mobility iii. Success open to all Isolate, repair, release in society to go as far as your native talents can take you...