The Great Awakening Essay

The key message that was carried by the first leaders was that salvation and revival was for all no matter the denomination therefore uniting many protestants. For many that shared these beliefs they were united but there were backlash from those that didn’t. the Great Awakening was a point of rebellion against colonial life and authoritarian religious rules. These period created national consciousness as the social effect of multitudes was felt as rather than relying religious control, individuals took control in shaping their nations identity. The people got the understanding that just like their churches ran on contractual schemes so should the state leadership. In the Pennsylvania colony, the people had the right to worship and profess their faith to any denomination.

But if a person of a said faith was an elected leader then they also had to confess allegiance to the King. The elected leaders were answerable to the governor, whereas the citizens had rights and the laws had to be followed when dealing with any legal problems. Criminals and the citizens had equal rights until proven guilty of their crime. [Pennsylvania, 1701] In the colonies in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the law was built around the beliefs of Christianity. This helped in promoting the British move to colonize the States. Moreover, since there had the leadership of most colonies under their rule, unlike the French and Spanish that dint have many colonies on their side. References Heyrman, C. L. The first Great Awakening.