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In A Shopkeeper’s Millennium, Paul E. Johnson depicts the rapid growth of Rochester, using its development to represent major themes occurring around the United States. Notably, he depicts the significance of the Second Great Awakening in Rochester, largely led by Charles Finney. Here, the Second Great Awakening was a white-collar led movement, much like many popular movements in the past and today in which privileged members of society are able to influence the lower classes into following their desired course of action. Through such activism, however, communities such as Rochester could become more socially unified.
The example of Rochester during the Second Great Awakening provides a perfect example for the ability of religion to act as a uniting factor, as I discussed in my post last week. I also noted the potential for religion to be a diversifying issue on a larger scale, some of which was portrayed in the masonic movements in Rochester. In large, however, Charles Finney and the Great Awakening provided a means for the Rochester community to come together, as the revivals became widely attended, extremely public, and the subject of much conversation in the town. Although its existence could be credited to moral movements sparked by the white-collar members of society such as temperance, these religious revivals were able to unite people of all classes as they were placed in equal playing ground in the eyes of God.
Price notes in his post that Rochester was made up of a diverse group of inhabitants, all of which notably have a similar characteristic: to either start anew or “make it big.” Although Finney was invited to Rochester, one cannot help but question his true motives in his revivals. Orators in the Great Awakenings are often critiqued in order to determine whether they truly had a desire to speak God’s word, or if they were simply skilled speakers looking to become famous. It is apparent that Finney made a name for himself in Rochester, and significant how Johnson made sure to clearly note that his revivals were extremely public. He did, however, also note that Finney had a moral influence on the community that led to general improvement. It is an interesting argument, however, and one that would be difficult to prove outright.
Whether his intentions were for morality or “to make it big”, there is no doubt that Finney’s revivals in Rochester unified the community and lad a lasting moral effect. In this sense, Rochester was a microcosm, also mentioned by Price, as religious revivals throughout the United States during the Second Great Awakening had a similar effect. Rochester, however, is interesting due to the expedited nature of its development economically, socially, and mora