The term "Great Awakening" was first used in the writing of American history in the 19th century, by a protestant minister named Joseph Tracy. His book, The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of Religion in the Time Of Edwards and Whitefield, described the period from 1739 to 1745, when evangelical revivalism swept through New England and the Middle Colonies, affecting thousands of people from every walk of life.
George Whitefield, the most famous of the itinerant ministers, spoke to gatherings of 15,000 people in open air meetings in Philadelphia and Boston. Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Gilbert Tennent, and dozens of others preached an emotional message of the horrors of damnation, and the desperate need for the "New Birth" of the conversion experience. Printed works by Whitefield and Edwards, their supporters and detractors, poured off colonial presses and filled newspapers. Parishes were invaded by itinerant preachers and laws were passed to throw them out. Many church goers demanded that their ministers be reborn, and congregations and denominations divided into New Light and Old Light, New Side and Old Side.
Historians are of many opinions about the extent and importance of the Great Awakening. Some see it as a transforming event in American history - a democratizing break with tradition that helped set the stage for the American Revolution. Others see it as part of a broader European phenomenon. Some argue that a "Great" awakening was a fiction developed by a 19th century minister and encouraged by generations of uncritical historians.
[back to top]This pathfinder is primarily intended for undergraduate students
of American history interested in learning more about the Great Awakening. Resources
have been chosen to provide an introduction to the topic as well as access to
more advanced studies and issues in the field. The time period covered includes
the entire colonial era.
The materials listed in this pathfinder are located in the following UNC-CH library locations:
| Davis | Walter Royal Davis Library stacks |
| Davis Microforms | Walter Royal Davis Microform Collection - 2nd floor |
| Davis Reference | Walter Royal Davis Library Reference Department - 1st floor |
| Rare Books | Rare Book Collection - Wilson Library |
Search these Library of Congress subject headings for more sources
on the Great
Awakening and related topics. In UNC-CH Library's online catalog, choose "Basic
Search" Enter the LC heading in the search box and choose "Subject
Heading" from the drop down menu at right.
Circuit riders--United States--History--18th century.
Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758.
Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758--bibliography
Evangelical Revival.
Evangelicalism--England--History--18th century.
Evangelicalism--United States--History--18th century.
Evangelists--Biography.
Evangelists--England--Biography.
Great Awakening.
Great Britain--Church history--18th century.
New England--Church history.
Religious thought--United States.
United States--Church history--To 1775.
United States--Religion--To 1800.
Whitefield, George, 1714-1770.
Most books on the Great Awakening and related subjects can be found in the 3rd floor stacks at Davis according to the following Library of Congress classification schedule:
| BL2525 | BL 2500 - 2592: History and Principles of Religion - American |
| BR 520 | Christianity -- History -- United States |
| BX 7260 | Christian Denominations -- Protestantism -- Congregationalism |
| BX 9225 | Presbyterianism. Calvinistic Methodism |
Cooke, Jacob Ernest,
et al. eds. Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies. 3 vols. New
York: Scribner's, 1993.
[Davis Reference E45 .E53 1993]
This 3 volume set consists of 274 topical and thematic essays written by leading
scholars in the diverse fields of American colonial history. It offers a thorough,
18 page, introduction to the Great Awakening and the complex religious landscape
of the time. Many related topics of interest are immediately available in other
essays. Bibliographies are excellent.
Lippy, Charles H. and
Peter W. Williams, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience:
Studies of Traditions and Movements. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1988.
[Davis Reference BL2525 .E53 1988]
Over 100 topical and thematic scholarly essays that address the impact of
religion on American society and culture. (Preface) The entry on the Great Awakening
provides a useful grounding in the many facets of colonial religion.
Garraty, John A and
Mark C. Carnes, eds. American National Biography. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1999.
[Davis Ref CT213 .A68 1999]
Use this source to find brief biographical entries on many of the figures
of the Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening is an area of great dispute in American historiography. Monographs listed here are frequently cited and provide exposure to a variety of arguments from different perspectives.
Bonomi, Patricia U. Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion,
Society, and Politics in Colonial America. New York: Oxford University Press,
1986.
[Davis BL2525 .B66 1986]
This is an excellent introduction to the Great Awakening as well as the social
and religious background of 18th century colonial America. Building on a previous
study of church adherence, Bonomi provides a skillful analysis of the scholarly
literature. She offers a balanced interpretation of the much debated relationship
between the Awakening and the American Revolution. Fifty pages of bibliographical
references provide a detailed map to the studies and debate focusing on the
period.
Butler, Jon. Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the
American People. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1990.
[Davis BL 2525 .B87 1990]
Butler's 1982 article "Enthusiasm Described and
Decried: The Great Awakening as Interpretive Fiction", questioned whether
the Great Awakening existed at all as a major 18th century event. This book
incorporates the earlier study in a broader investigation of the development
of American religion.
Crawford, Michael J. Seasons of Grace: Colonial New England's
Revival Tradition in its British Context. New York: Oxford University Press,
1991.
[Davis BR520 .C72 1991]
This work portrays the revival movement in New England
as a "regional manifestation of the broader, pietistic Evangelical Revival
that reached westward from Germany and forward from the mid-seventeenth century"
(preface). Crawford studies the interaction between the revivals in the colonies
and those in Britain. He emphasizes the language of revival narratives - published
accounts of the experiences of communities - the first of which was Jonathan
Edwards' Faithful Narrative.
Gaustad, Edwin S. The Great Awakening in New England.
Gloucester, Mass: Peter Smith, 1965. Originally published in 1957 by Harper
and Row.
[Davis BR520 .G2 1965]
This early work by an eminent scholar of religion
is still consistently cited as one of the best regional studies of the Great
Awakening.
Heimert, Alan. Religion and the American Mind: from the
Great Awakening to the Revolution. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, 1966.
[Davis BR520 .H4]
This classic study has caused great controversy among
historians, from it's publication in 1966, until the present day. Heimert argued
that the "Liberal" religion practiced by the contemporary critics
of the Awakening was politically and socially conservative, and that "Calvinism,
and Edwards, provided pre-Revolutionary America with a radical, even democratic,
social and political ideology" (Preface) Few books written about colonial
history have inspired so many citations, interpretations, and attacks.
Lambert, Frank. Inventing the "Great Awakening".
Princeton, NJ.: Princeton University Press, 1999.
[BR520 .L36 1999]
Was the Great Awakening a transforming event in colonial
America, or, a series of isolated episodes, given narrative life by later generations
of historians? Lambert focuses on colonial newspapers, magazines, and other
published writings to locate the Awakening's "invention" firmly in
the 18th century. This innovative work chronicles the battle between promoters
of evangelicalism and their opponents as they struggled to define the future
of Protestantism in America.
Tracy, Joseph. The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival
of Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield. Boston: Charles Tappan,
1845.
[Rare Books 18944]
Tracy was the first historian to apply the term "Great
Awakening" to the events of the 1740's. His study is still cited and is
considered important by scholars. However, students seeking an introduction
to the period should consult newer sources.
Heimert, Alan and Perry Miller, eds. The Great Awakening:
Documents Illustrating the Crisis and It's Consequences. Indianapolis: Bobbs
- Merrill, 1967.
[Davis BR520 .H39]
This collection of primary sources provides access
to important published sermons and other writings of key figures of the Great
Awakening, such as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennent.
The editors' selections and notes trace the growth of the movement throughout
the colonies, and also document the fierce opposition that developed among established
clergy. Heimert's foreword is a useful introduction to the religious landscape
of 18th century America.
Bushman, Richard L., ed. The Great Awakening: Documents
on the Revival of Religion, 1740-1745. New York: Atheneum, 1970.
{Davis BR520 .B94 1970]
A good introduction to the events through documentary
sources. Newspaper articles, court records, letters, and sermons document the
joys of "New Birth" and the reaction of the "Old Lights"
as they confronted a crisis that touched "people from all ranks of society,
of all ages, and from every section…" (Introduction)
Coalter, Milton J. Gilbert Tennent, Son of Thunder: A
Case Study Of Contintental Pietism's Impact on the First Great Awakening in
the Middle Colonies. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.
[Davis BX9225 .T397 C63 1986.]
Coalter chronicles the life of Gilbert Tennent, fiery
Presbyterian revivalist, whose 1740 sermon, The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry,
precipitated the division of colonial Presbyterianism.
Stout, Harry S. The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield
and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmands
Publishing Co., 1991.
[DAVIS BX 9225 .W4 S74 1991]
In this well written biography, Stout emphasizes Whitefield's
use of theatrical techniques in transfixing his audiences. Passionate sermons
preaching "New Birth" and a canny use of the press, made Whitefield
Anglo-America's "first inter-colonial hero." (Preface). The author
credits Whitefield with helping to form a common cultural identity throughout
the colonies. A bibliography lists primary and secondary sources on Whitefield
as well as general works on the Great Awakening.
Tracy, Patricia J. Jonathan Edwards, Pastor: Religion
and Society in 18th Century Northampton. New York: Hill and Wang, 1979.
[Davis BX7260 .E3 T72]
In 1734, the town of Northampton, Massachusetts experienced
a revival of great intensity which foreshadowed the events of the 1740's. Tracy
seeks to supplement the traditional study of Edwards as America's first systematic
philosopher by focusing on his role as pastor of the town, and to investigate
"Northampton as a case study of an awakened community" (Introduction).
Edwards, Jonathan. The Works of Jonathan Edwards.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957 - .
[Davis BX7117 .E3 1957]
The collected works of the philosopher and theologian
of the Great Awakening. Volume 4, "The Great Awakening", includes
"A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God", Edwards' portrayal
of the revival in Northampton in 1734. Published in London in 1738, this text
became the first of many revival narratives, and secured Edwards' position as
a leader of the evangelical movement .
The Eighteenth Century [microfilm]. Woodbridge, Conn.
: Research Publications, 1982 - .
[Davis Microforms - 1-2586]
A remarkable microfilm collection which aims to include
every notable item printed in any language in Great Britain and its colonies,
and printed in English anywhere in the world, from 1701 to 1800. Researchers
at UNC-Chapel Hill have access to microfilm of source documents from important
figures of the Great Awakening such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards,
Charles Chauncy, Gilbert Tennent, James Davenport, William Cooper, Joseph Bellamy
and many others. Documents in the collection are catalogued individually in
the library catalog and may be searched by author's name or title. The collection
is based on The English Short Title Catalog (ESTC). The ESTC is available on
CD-ROM in Davis Reference and can be searched by author, title, publisher, place,
date, and words in notes.
Whitefield, George. George Whitefield's Journals.
Edinburgh: Banner of Trust, 1960.
[Davis BX9225.W4 A3 1960]
Originally published from 1738-1747 as seven separate
journals and two accounts of Whitefield's youth, these autobiographical writings
were extremely popular, and useful to revivalists in promoting their work.
Available at http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/eid/ , or go to the Library home page (http://www.lib.unc.edu/) and click on the E INDEXES AND DATABASES link at the top of the page.
America: History and Life
Coverage: 1964 - present
Updated: Monthly
Use this electronic index to find citations to articles and reviews on the Great Awakening and related topics. Published since 1964, America: History and Life currently indexes over 1700 journals, including all major sources for American and Canadian history. Each year 16,000 new citations to articles, reviews, and dissertations are added to the database (source: vendor website)
ArchivesUSA
Updated: continuously
NOTE: Archival collections pertaining to the Great Awakening are not available
at UNC Chapel Hill.
"ArchivesUSA is a current directory of over 5,400 repositories
and over 124,400 collections of primary source material across the United States."
(source: vendor website). While collections pertaining to the Great Awakening
are not available at
UNC-CH, a student in American history may want to research what collections
of primary documents exist. Searching for documents on evangelist George Whitefield
produces a collection of Whitefield papers held by the Library of Congress,
Manuscript Division.
Many of the best regional and local case studies pertaining to the Great Awakening, as well as important critical essays and reviews are published in journals. The most frequently cited are listed below, although articles of related interest will appear in a variety of other sources.
Search America: History and Life for citations to articles.
American Historical Review. Washington, DC: American
Historical Society, 1895 - .
[Davis E171 .A57] electronic access via JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journals/00028762.html
"Begun in 1895, the AHR is the scholarly voice of the American Historical
Association, a body chartered by Congress to oversee and protect the historiographical
legacy of the United States." (Publisher's website). See the American Historical
Review for reviews of books about the Great Awakening and any other subject
in any field of history.
Church History. Chicago: American Society of Church
History, 1932 - .
[Davis BR140 .A45]
"The Society encourages research into both more
narrowly conceived areas of church history and broader spheres dedicated to
the examination of religion's relationship to its surrounding culture. In line
with its commitment to studying religious history with due attention to cultural
context, the ASCH maintains strong ties with the American Historical Association."
(publisher's website).
Journal of American History. Bloomington, IN : Mississippi
Valley Historical Association, 1964- .
[Davis F351 .M69] electronic access via JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journals/00218723.html
"The leading scholarly publication and journal of record in the field
of American history". (Publisher's website) One of the best sources for
articles and reviews on the Great Awakening.
Reviews in American History.
Westport, Conn.: Redgrave Information Resources Corp., 1973
-.
[Davis Z1236 .R47] electronic access via library website at
http://eresources.lib.unc.edu/ejournal
"Each issue presents in-depth reviews of over 30 of the newest books
in American history…Retrospective essays examining landmark works by major
historians are also regularly featured." (Publisher's website) An important
source for reviews on books about the Great Awakening and related subjects.
William and Mary Quarterly. Williamsburg, Va.: College of
William and Mary, 1944-.
[Davis F221 .W71] electronic access via JSTOR at http://www.jstor.org/journals/00435597.html
"The journal originated in 1892, making it one of the oldest scholarly
journals in the United States. Currently in its Third Series, the Quarterly
is the leading journal for the study of early American history and culture."
(Publisher's website) Probably the most important journal for articles and reviews
about the Great Awakening.
The following essays trace the history of the scholarly debate surrounding the Great Awakening, and are excellent guides to the literature. Look for other sources on the Great Awakening and related topics in the notes and bibliographies of the studies mentioned above.
Guelzo, Allen C. "God's Designs: The Literature of the
Colonial Revivals of Religion, 1735-1760." In New Directions in American
Religious History, ed. Harry S. Stout and D.G. Hart. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1997.
[Davis BR 515 .N47 1997]
Goff, Phillip. "Revivals and Revolution: Historiographic
Turns since Alan Heimert's Religion and the American Mind." Church History
67/4 (December 1998): 695 - 721.
[Davis BR140 .A45]
Atlas of American History. New York: Scribners, 1984.
[Davis reference G1201 .S1 J3 1984]
A useful collection of historical maps. The first
chapters illustrate settled areas, plantations, land grants, colonies, colonial
roads, and American Indian populations before the revolution.
Gaustad, Edwin S., Philip L. Barlow and Richard W. Dishno.
New Historical Atlas of Religion in America. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1962, rev. ed. 2001.
[Davis reference FOLIO G1201 .E4 N4 2001]
"Anyone hoping to comprehend religion in its historical context ignores
geography at severe peril" (preface). This remarkable book draws on the
work of many scholars to ascertain church adherence and then maps the nation's
religions in enlightening ways. The 44 maps, tables and graphs covering the
18th century actually give the reader a sense of where the Congregationalist,
Lutheran, Anglican, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Baptist, and
Quaker populations lived and worshipped, and in what numbers.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/religion.html
This Library of Congress exhibition examines the religious heritage of the diverse people who lived in the British colonies at the time of the Revolution. The section on the 18th century includes many objects from the Library's collection as well as important loaned items including portraits of George Whitefield and the portable pulpit he used when preaching in the open air.
Please send questions or comments to Jim Ovitt at ovitj@email.unc.edu
This pathfinder was created for INLS 111 and was last updated 12/10/01.