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The Film:
Interview Transcripts:
John Burt
John Burt, Esq.,
Pittsburgh historian on
the second great awakening
 In
approximately the second decade of the 19th Century you
find this religious revival which historians call the second great
awakening. Of course, by implication, that means we had a first one,
in the colonial period before the American Revolution. Western
Pennsylvania in general, and
Pittsburgh
in particular, is a place where there is a great deal of religious
revival. In this region, it centers primarily among Methodists and
Presbyterians.
The great
awakening brings with it a renewed commitment to what theologians
would later identify as social gospel. As a result of these revivals,
you see two very important things happening. You see an increased
participation by women in the life of the church, and you see an
increase in anti-slavery activity based on religious commitment.
People with a renewed conviction that slavery is sin. It’s not just a
political wrong. It’s not just an economic wrong. It’s sin. |
confluence of
three rivers
Pittsburgh’s cast of characters
the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
government by the people
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