Without the Great Awakening (1730-1760), there would have been no American Revolution (1760-1790). The ideas, the motivation, the Biblical worldview, and the great virtuous statesmanship seen in the Founder's Era were all birthed in this great spiritual revival led by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield (other notable preachers were John and Charles Wesley). The Great Awakening was characterized by the idea of HOLINESS, which brought about the revival. The Godly environment of the Awakening deeply affected and helped prepare the future leaders for their destiny.
During this Great Awakening the Spirit of God swept mightily throughout the colonies. The numbers of people in the churches more than doubled. Whole towns were literally converted to Christ. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his autobiography that "it seem'd as if all the world were growing religious, so one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing the psalms sung in different families of every street."
Jonathan Edwards wrote the famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
At the time of the American Revolution, about 90% of the colonists were literate because they were reading the Bible. The revivalists preached about the biblical idea of freedom. This time was a cultivation of the Christian idea of liberty, preached up to the Revolution.
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