The Democratization of American ChristianityA provocative reassessment of religion and culture in the early days of the American republic "The so-called Second Great Awakening was the shaping epoch of American Protestantism, and this book is the most important study of it ever published."—James Turner, Journal of Interdisciplinary History
Winner of the John Hope Franklin Publication Prize, the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic book prize, and the Albert C. Outler Prize In this provocative reassessment of religion and culture in the early days of the American republic, Nathan O. Hatch argues that during this period American Christianity was democratized and common people became powerful actors on the religious scene. Hatch examines five distinct traditions or mass movements that emerged early in the nineteenth century—the Christian movement, Methodism, the Baptist movement, the black churches, and the Mormons—showing how all offered compelling visions of individual potential and collective aspiration to the unschooled and unsophisticated. |
From inside the book
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... John Murrin suggests that the Revolution reversed the dominant integrative trend of eighteenth - century America , shattering the most ven- erable habits , customs , and loyalties . This vast transformation , this shift away from the ...
... John Francis noted : His weapons against Beelzebub were providential interpositions , wondrous disasters , touching sentiments , miraculous escapes , some- thing after the method of John Bunyan . . . . In his field exercises , at camp ...
... John Wesley found it easy to forget his advice never to scream and never to raise the voice above its natural pitch . Instead , they promoted thunderous meetings that were subject to stinging criticism . After watching one Methodist ...
... John M. Murrin suggests that this concern prompted much of the rhetorical insistence that Americans were one people who shared a glorious past . In fact , American national identity was an im- promptu and artificial creation of the ...
... John W. Nevin or wipe the slate clean with Alexander Campbell . One could opt for traditional piety or join a perfectionist sect . Religious options in the early republic seemed unlimited : one could worship on Saturday , practice foot ...
Contents
3 | |
17 | |
49 | |
67 | |
The Sovereign Audience | 125 |
The Right to Think for Oneself | 162 |
Upward Aspiration and Democratic Dissent | 193 |
The Recurring Populist | 210 |
A Sampling of Anticlerical | 227 |
Notes | 244 |
Index | 305 |
Other editions - View all
The Democratization of American Christianity Nathan O. Hatch,Professor Nathan O Hatch Limited preview - 1989 |