ABSTRACT
America, in the mid-nineteenth century, was a place of great religious ferment. The Second Great Awakening of the 1820s and 1830s brought a new revival in personal religion and spirituality among Protestant Christians. Protestants who comprised the dominant majority continued to carry the belief that America was a land of destiny and special purpose in the world. This belief, as well as a sense of optimism and adventure that came with the founding of the new nation and the modern progress in science, technology and industry, contributed to the flowering of new religious and social movements that sought reform in religion and society. Each of the religious movements discussed in this chapter arose as an expression of and response to that reform impulse in nineteenth-century America. Each presented a strong, unique vision of religion and American society and demanded radical dedication to the faith and practice of the community.
