In this lecture, Dr. Totten argues a wave of religious revivals spread across the country, which led many Americans to change the way they worshiped. Americans embraced a more enthusiastic, evangelical interpretation of Christianity and the concept of perfectionism, which led many to join reform movements to perfect society and thus bring about the second coming of Christ. New protestant sects were created and many Americans experimented with utopian societies or communitarian communities. While the awakening led to a democratization of American religion, it also led to splits within American churches between proslavery southerners and anti-slavery northerners. This would later help contribute to the coming of the Civil War.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/history-of-the-american-people-to-1877/donations