The Second Great Awakening marked a fundamental transition

Last updated: 6/21/2023

The Second Great Awakening marked a fundamental transition in American religious life Many early American religious groups in the Calvinist tradition had emphasized the deep depravity of human beings and believed they could only be saved through the grace of God The new evangelical movement however placed greater emphasis on humans ability to change their situation for the better By stressing that individuals could assert their Free Will in choosing to be saved and by suggesting that salvation was open to all human beings the Second Great Awakening embraced a more optimistic view of the human condition http www ushistory org us 22c asp I come to represent to you the condition of a numerous and unhappy class of sufferers who fill the cells and dungeons of the poor houses and the prisons of your state I refer to the pauper and indigent insane epileptics and idiots of Pennsylvania I come to urge their claims upon the commonwealth for protection and support such protection and support as is only to be found in a well conducted Lunatic Asylum Dorothea Dix Memorial soliciting a state hospital for the insane February 3 1845 How did Dorothea Dix respond to the teachings of the 2nd Great Awakening The 2nd Great Awakening s focus on a human s ability to change a situation for the better influenced Dorothe Dix to create a welfare system for the poor The 2nd Great Awakening s focus on individual s ability to enact social change influenced Dorothea Dix to seek prison reform and mental asylums O The 2nd Great Awakening s focus on Free Will influenced Dorothea Dix to work to increase the use of asylum to help educate the unhappy class The 2nd Great Awakening s focus on societal improvement influenced Dorothea Dix to support harsher punishments for criminals to improve human behavior