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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... issues of freedom, equality, sovereignty, and representation. Respect for authority, tradition, station, and education ... issue of the well-being of ordinary people became central to the definition of being American, public opinion came ...
... issues of authority , organization , and leadership.5 Above all , the Revolution dramatically expanded the circle of ... issue of the well - being of ordinary people became central to the definition of being American , public opinion ...
... issues of religious leadership and movement - building . The most unusual feature of Christianity in this era is its remarkable set of popular leaders . Not since the crusading vigor of the early Puritans or of first - generation ...
Nathan O. Hatch. the relationship between leaders and people ; focusing on the issue of leadership allows a clear view of this process . Most important , it shows that the fundamental religious debates in the early republic were not ...
... issue of popular participation in government flared up with greater intensity . Pressing questions about liberty ... issues close to the hearts of the people , resurrected " the spirit of 1776 " to protect elite control and the force of ...
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 |