Boston, Massachusetts

 

I, Stephen Adams, have now travelled to city of Boston, in the colony of Massachusetts, learn about the impact of Reverend George Whitefield on the city and its inhabitants. Whitefield has traveled from the city of Newport, Rhode Island, and is speaking to a crowd at the Boston Common. Boston Common is a large park in the middle of Boston, near the neighborhood of Beacon Hill.

Boston Common

Mr. Whitefield, as I previously mentioned, was a preacher from England who used similar language in his sermons with that of Jonathon Edwards. This language is what many are calling a “Great Awakening”. The people of Boston were obviously interested in Reverend Whitefield, as it has been reported that more than 5000 people saw him at the Common. It is projected that about 17,000 people lived in Boston at the time. While many people likely traveled to her Reverend Whitefield, it was an amazing amount of people. However, it has been reported that some people died during these sermons, as people were crushed in the crowd as they tried to get closer and hear the messages being shared.

It has been described that the preachers in Boston have also split in to the Old Light and New Light as described in other cities, like New Haven, Connecticut. The Old Light preachers are sticking to the traditional method of preacher and rejecting the message of these Great Awakening preachers. New Light preachers are following the styles of Whitefield and Edwards. One of the biggest critics of this movement was Charles Chauncey, who, like Whitefield, was originally born in Britain. Chauncey held very traditional views about preaching, and disagreed with how Edwards and Whitefield conducted their sermons. Chauncey has been attacked by supporters of the Great Awakening for holding on to his traditional beliefs.

The First Church of Boston

It will be interesting to see how this new thinking will affect the city of Boston and what the future holds in store for the city.


written by Vincent Mule for History 121 at NVCC

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