The Great Awakening: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Kidd is an outstanding historian that has assembled an excellent collection of primary readings on Awakening throughout the 18th century, with comment.

I've never read a book that is laid out the way this one is. It has a "brief history" and then the text of the original documents referred to in the "brief". This book discusses the changing attitudes regarding the way religion was being taught in the mid 1700's- opposing the traditional "preach from the pulpit" versus a trend toward large outdoor "revivals". The traditionalists felt the revival was too casual and way too raucous to teach the respect and responsibility "the church" deserved. The revivalists saw a needed niche for bringing the gospel to workers who lived away from the town centers. Some also found that the "revival" experience of these Americans was no less "religious" but had a more real and lasting influence. After a period of waning interest in "the Church", Americans were coming back to the fold through the revival. The words of the likes of George Whitefield spoke to the individualism that came to be the hallmark of the colonial American.

This book is interesting. It is about a totally forgotten part of history that is so important. The book is about the great spirtual awaking that swept this nation in the 1740s to 1750s. The event had a huge impact on the country. Many said it gave birth to the evangelical movement here in the US.The book is put together differently than most history books. The first part of the book is a summary of the event. The rest of the book is a collection of letters about the event. That method has some pluses and minuses for sure. The plus side is you see the event from the people's eyes. That creates a new perspective and appreciation for the event. The negative side is you don't get the big picture of what happened.I was really intrigued with the descriptions of the revials. These events sound like any similar event in US history all the way up to Franklin Graham. I was also intrigued by the letters from people that were against said events. They called them horrible because it unhinged people's emotions. That reminded me of the discussions today from the mainline dying denominations vs. the charismatic/fundamentalist/evangelist meetings of today. It shows the more things change the more they stay the same.

Like the Bedford Series in general, this book might be described as a sort of "summary on steroids". Giving historical background followed by actual documents of the period, the reader is provided a much deeper and more meaningful perspective of the subject than that found in most textbooks. This book reveals a lot about a time in American history which few people know anything about. I had picked it up after reading Nathan Hatch's "The Democratization of American Christianity", which discusses in magnificent detail the Second Great Awakening. If I had to do it over again, I would read the book being reviewed first, as it provides valuable background that is ultimately relevant to Hatch's book.Regardless, it stands on its own as a fascinating glimpse into early American Christianity.Cheers!- Rod

I ordered this for a class paper this past semester and it was useful. It is filled with great documents that tell the story about this event in plain English, but it is also a great reference for a paper or class on this topic.

Very good book on the leaders of the Great Awakening. The controversies within the churches is very interesting. It does not cover the spiritual impact of the Awakening on the colonies in an in-depth way. The book is centered on the people who supported, and criticized, the revivals that swept the country. I like the supporting documents.

I signed up for the free trial of Amazon Prime and received the book in one day! I couldn't ask for better service and quick delivery. The book is for a history class that I'm taking, so I really have nothing to say about its content or how good of a read it is.

A well balanced, yet detailed, portrayal of the associated events.This well researched (& footnoted : ) study was helpful to me because:(1) It offered a summary overview;and then,(2) Numerous document excerpts (many from diaries) penned bypeople who lived in the midst of The Great Awakening.It has motivated me to read much more about this era.