The Great Awakening

Explain what the Great Awakening was. Assess the extent to which the Great Awakening, an intensely religous movement, contributed to the development of the separation of church and state in America.



The Great Awakening was one of the largest religous movements that put fear into the bellies of the people and brought them closer to their faith. Just before the time of the Great Awakening, which occured during the 1730s and 1740s, liberal ideas such as more scientific ideas and doubts on predestination along with the need for good works. What made this threatening to the Puritan Church was when Dutchman Jacobus Arminius preached that free will, not divine decree would judge a person's fate. This led to a large religous revival around the entire New England which was lead by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. Edwards wrote 'Sinners in the Angry Hands of God,' which even though had a brutal story of hell and scared people, it brought them closer to God. George Whitfield took a more calm approach and used his magnificent voice to make the people of New England weep but repent their sins and go closer to the church. Even though the Puritan religion became more passionate about their religion, this led to a split between church and state.

Prior to the Great Awakening, Puritans basically ran almost every colony in New England. They enforced strict laws over the people such as Calvin did in Geneva. They also issued new lands to proprietors who were ready to start new towns. As time passed by and Puritans scattered to outlying towns, the Half Way covenant was issued which took away full communion, giving the people more civil liberties. Soon, people began to liberalize and so did government with ideas about more schools and universities. As soon as these ideas affected going to church, the Puritan leaders rebelled and brought the people back to normal, but there were still those who were very educated and did not want to go back to old times and government was one of those people. This is when the church and the government were separated from each other for good. This hardly happened before since in Europe, religion had a huge impact on government (Anglican in England or Catholocism in Spain and France). Without the Great Awakening, religion might still play a big part in how government decided affairs. There might not be religous toleration to the extent that it is today and minorities like Jews and Muslims might not be treated with the same respect that if the Great Awakening occured. The Great Awakening was the time when state had to move on to becomming independent from religion and that helped influence society today.

The Great Awakening was a very rousing and religious revival that brought the people back to the Puritan Church but it was the time when state had to move on. State was more focused on education and liberalizing instead of being brought back under the spell of Puritanism which caused the separation of church and state. Though this decreased their power over the colonies, the Puritans were able to work peacefully with the government in New England. This was great because today, the U.S. Government are tolerant to each and every religion out there. The Great Awakening could be just another reason why there isn't a crusade yet.

American Picture from Alaska

This is Alaska, one of the most beautiful states in America. I know because I went there last summer. It is a picture of one of the many ice and glacier pictures with a beautiful mountain in the background with glaciers on top of it. The bear is doing its ice fishing in hopes of catching some delicious salmon. First, I like the picture because it is beautiful.
Also, America is one big chunk of land which holds many landforms, like mountains, prairies, rivers, deserts, and beaches. America is doing its best to try and become nature friendly so there can be less global warming and more pictures of bears on ice with a beautiful mountain in the backdrop.

Songs Part 3 (5-1)

5. Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier
This was a very interesting and sad folk song indeed. It is truly a song about love and the feelings of a lady after her love left for the war. The first lines talks about her crying on top of a hill and the second lines talk about how broken hearted she feels and how it isn't going to go away.
The third line is sweet that she will sell her possessions to help her love, Johnny fight. She will sacrifice herself to the streets to help Johnny which is really touching.
Love is important in the U.S. while in other countries, arranged marriages play a big role in culture. There is committment in families and people have to make a lot of sacrifices just to chip in. I know many teenagers my age who have fathers or mothers in the military and usually, they are called for a years service in Afganistan. It breaks the families' hearts but makes them closer.

4. Brave Wolfe
Very interesting song selection. You couldn't hear any words but there is nice music which relates that this is a war (probably revolutionary) song and talks about a hero named Wolfe who had a big impact on the war. I don't really have much to say for this song because it was hard to decode. However, relating to being a hero, its moral is that anyone can be one.

3. Shaman's Call
A nice Native American song and it is a native song. When I was in Arizona, a native told me that Native American music tells a story. This song sounds peaceful so it must be very spiritual songs because in Native culture, the peaceful songs are the spiritual ones. I am pretty sure this song was sung before the arival of the Spanish or French or English.
Anyway, Shaman must be a profound ancestor and this must be his call to the Gods which is probably very notorious. This is one of those songs where the culture is there and so is the deserving pride.

2. Apache NATIVE AMERICAN Drums
Another very cultural Native American song. This one must be very cultural since drums were a key instrument in Native culture. I can picture Natives dancing to this beat around a fire. It sounds more violent that Shaman's Call but it still resembles peace; it is just less spiritual. It also makes the people proud to be who they are. The last song was serial and serious, but this one was a happy and more playful.

and finally... 1. Anon: Virgen Madre de Dios or Virgin Mother of God
This song lets us know where the Europeans (and most of America's ancestors) came from. At the time the Europeans came (and thank AP Euro) Catholocism was big in Southern Europe, especially Spain, Portugal, and France, three big countries that colonized places in America. They sent with them Jesuit priests who came and taught these spiritual natives Catholic music. This is a depressing songs and reflected the hardships of the natives who were conquered, enslaved, and forced to change religions. Catholocism ended up becoming THE religion in South and Latin America along with Mexico and it is thanks to the Spaniards.

I enjoyed this project and learning old songs and stages of American life. It is nice to take a break from rap.

Songs Part 2 (10-6)

10. Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday (1939)
One of the ealy anti-racism songs and it did leave scary thougts running through my mind.
It was hard being an African American in the south during the early twentieth century with the massive dicrimination against them. Here, Holiday was pointing these truths in a really realistic but scary way. She sings about the violence in the south with blood and it was really interesting when she said, 'here are magnolias, sweet and fresh, then the smell of burning flesh. The strange fruit was supposed to represent the African Americans who were dubbed strange during the time that this song came out. She portrayed herself as a strange and bitter crop.
This song was to raise awareness of how the African Americans were being treated and how it needed to end.

9. Do Re Mi by Woody Guthrie (1940)
Interesting song that was written during the time of the Dust Bowl and talked about people in the East wanting to move to places like California. This was also written during a time of a recession after the depression and it was hard to move to another state and people were trying to find work or money. It would be hard to move to places without money. He summed it up when he said that 'but believe it or not, you won't find it so hot if you ain't got the do re mi.' Do Re Mi was a slang back then for money and without it, life just isn't as good, especially during a recession.

8. Jesus Christ by Woody Guthrie (1940)
How about that, another Woody Guthrie song! However, this song is totally different from Do Re Mi.
This is a religous song that compares today with the time of Jesus. Jesus spoke about giving to the poor and the rich disliked him, sending poor Jesus to the grave. The rich today are no different, they would be mad at Jesus if he taught the same thing. Christians today promise at church to follow Jesus, but would they really do it if he came here telling us so? The rich would argue that it wouldn't help them and would get mad at Jesus. America has become like that. I remember the rich getting upset when Obama came and said that money from the rich will help the poor and I have lots of friends against him for that. Ignorance has blinded us.

7. Paddy's Lament by Flogging Molly (2002)
Really good song with a kick of Irish to it.
This song talks about an Irish imigrant during the 1840s who escaped like many from the potato famine. However, he was taken advantage like most other immigrants and became a soldier during the most bloodies wars in American history, the Civil War. Though he must have been angry and terrified but he had to suck it up and move forward.
This song is represents the story of an Irish Immigrant who like other immigrants moved during the 19th century for a better life, only to be taken advantage of and abused. Flogging Molly tells the story of this immigrant over 150 years later. It was a good song for folk.

6. Hard Times Come Again No More by Stephen Foster (1854)
This was a very peaceful song that has a positive ring in all of us. It talks about the people who are suffering but are in hope that these hard times will come to pass. Growing up in a safe community, I tend to forget those living in the streets working to make ends meet and are singing this song. This song could be traced for today with the recession (especially in my hometown of Detroit) with people out of work and are dealing with the poverty line. I know that there are many who are singing this song for hope so they can pay off debts and live peacefully. This song should bring hope and I have heard new versions of this song, primarily sung to people who are suffering.

Songs Part 1 (15-11)

I have decided to work backwards here.

15. We didn't start the fire by Billy Joel (1989)
I was really happy that this song came up.
Here, Joel was recalling historical events during his life that occured around the world but mainly in the United States. He did not just recall the political events but also pop culture.
However, it all came together through his chorus when he explains that 'We did not start the fire.' How things have came to be this way is through what happened in the past. When he says, 'it has been burning since the world has been turning,' means that conflicts have always been there, and when he says, 'no we didn't light it but we've tried to fight it,' means that we have tried to prevent new conflicts from arising but it is inevitable that new events will occur and the future will be scarred.
I like this song because Billy Joel has listed events from the past and has connected it to life in the present and basically predicts what will happen in the future. The past is concrete because he lists events randomly, the present is during his refrain. The future is the abstract part that it is inevitable that some fire will occur that will spur the future like it has done with the past.

14. The Hands that Built America by U2 (2002)
I love U2 as a band. This is a very patriotic song in my opinion even though the artist isn't even American.
The song is about how America has been built and developed into the country that it is today.
The hands that have built America are the immigrants and the diversity has contributed to the diverse cultures America holds today. Also, the Native Americans who were there to show the immigrants when they came the first day. In the beginning, U2 sings about the journeys immigrants had to come from in foreign lands and how America has grown considerably.

13. The Times they are A-Changin (1964)
This song talks about how time is coming by. It reminds me when an aunt tells me that it feels like yesterday when I was born. Well, time has A-changed and it has a-changed pretty fast. This song points this out that time goes by fast and it would be nice if you kept up or you would fall behind. America has grown and many events have changed it. The waters have grown and are now filled with oil as Dylan points out. Bob Dylan hits it right on the nail when he says that the present now will soon be the past and something for better or worse will succeed today's event.

12.Youngstown by Bruce Springsteen (1995)
Mr. Springsteen here is talking about life in his former city of Youngstown, Ohio, where he grew up. First, he talks about its history that it was found near a creek like most cities and became an important city during the civil war. Also, he talked about growing up with his dad doing a dangerous job in the furnaces which he related to hell. Then, he talks about WWII and how his dad served there and how Youngstown was an important place. Then, he talks about Youngstown still being the same, hard working city in Northeast Ohio.
He points out the hardness people go through in America to make a living in dangerous places like the furnace or the coal mine.

11. A Change is gonna Come by Sam Cooke (1963)
This is a civil rights song which points out segregation during a time full of it. In the first two lines of every verse, Cooke talks about how hard it is to be colored and his last two lines are 'it has been a long time coming but I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.' Cooke points out that his people have been insulted for centuries but is optimistic that they will get their freedom. His song and other civil rights songs have been key in making almost equal rights today. Granted, there is still racism today but change will come to make things better.