The Second Great Awakening was extraordinary time in the Protestant movement full of emotion, devotion and conversion. It started out in New England and wasn’t sparked by anti-intellectual connotations like other movements, catching the attention of some of the biggest theologians of this time. It was branded by engulfing oneself in the ideas of Jesus, the notion of loving your neighbor which would come under fire later. One of the key characteristics was individualism, individuals working towards a better more personal relationship with Christ. In the text it discussed how many societies formed at this time with the goal of making the gospel well known. Gonzales discusses in more detail about these societies, “American Bible Society, founded in 1816, and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, founded six years earlier. The latter was the result of a covenant made by a group of students meeting on a haystack, who vowed to devote themselves to foreign missions” (Gonzales). These mission trips were focused many things like social causes such as slavery, women, and the spreading of the gospel to insure everybody had the opportunity to live their life as Jesus did. As touched on briefly above Women were a key characteristic, playing a big role in this period. The rate of conversions was the highest amongst women, women were creating societies and leading the charge amongst many social issues. The characteristic of individualism and its effect on women played a huge role in the placement of The Second Great Awakening in history.

Charles Finney has a stern personality that cast a large amount of judgment on mankind. He says that “religion is the work of man. It is something for man to do. It consists in obeying God with and from the heart. It is man’s duty” (Placher). Finney is judging man of all these, human nature, humanity’s normal relationship with God, and the mainstream efforts by churches to bring people to God. He judges and criticizes man because of the fact that man gets caught up in the scripture, interpreting and preaching to many people creating revival after revival causing “man” to really lose touch with God. God did not create man to go out and revive, revive, and revive, as Finney states “God is a sovereign, and it is very wrong for you to attempt to get up a revival, just because you think a revival is needed” (Placher).  He goes on to back revivalism in how it should be. If God wants to revive anything he will do it and he will pick somebody to carry out that act but its not going to be everybody and its not going to be a trend amongst men. This sums up Finney, he is degusted with man’s obsession of forming their own opinions, bringing people to God with that opinion, and forming these revivals because to him man must obey God and work towards God not be selfish and work against God.

The Second Great Awakening was a movement that shot more individualistic consciousness into the minds of church goers. It occurred at the end of the seventeenth century and it started in New England. It was characterized by community and entrenched in the basics of Jesus’ teaching of “loving thy neighbor”. There was influence coming from the diversity of individuals immigrating into the United States, on the fact that the boarders surrounding North America were still in flux. The war with Mexico in 1829 caused much death and destruction amongst the people of Mexico and North America.  There are many aspects that play into the entirety of the movement but there are some characteristics that stick out. One namely is the animalistic way that the Shakers would conduct worship, “…some wept and others laughed uncontrollably, still others trembled, and some ran about, and some even barked” (González 327). This newer sect transcends, yet still has remnants of the Quakers. In the sense that the physical manifestation of the Spirit literally moves ones body. The Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 was an event that occurred and was supported by a Presbyterian pastor in Kentucky. The space where the people associated with the revival congregated was one of freedom and clarity. The Shakers worship traditions are associated with dancing and moving about.

The term Manifest Destiny is based in the war between North America and Mexico. At the time the boarders were in flux and Mexico had outlawed slavery (1829). Thus creating an inflow of immigrants which dove tails the ethical, cultural, and religious diversity that was so prevalent during the Second Great Awakening.

Finley sees that “men” are on this earth to obey the rules of God and its natural order but also criticizes man for being dazed in their consciousness for following the constructs of religious scripture. He uses a Biblical parable as commentary on the teaching of Scripture in the common space of society “Suppose a man were to go and preach this doctrine among farmer, about their doing grain” (Finney). He approaches the absurdity of following a doctrine by playfully adopting the scriptural image of The Parable of the Sewer (Mathew 13). In terms of revivalism sf its need in society. Finley sees that it is damning, he believes it is the devils work. It is the devils work to preach a doctrine in order to encompass the minds of individuals.