A significant Protestant religious revival movement in the United States, it peaked in the early 19th century. This resurgence was characterized by emotional preaching, camp meetings, and a widespread sense of personal conversion. Its tenets emphasized individual responsibility for seeking salvation and stressed the importance of evangelism and social reform. For example, itinerant preachers traveled throughout the country, holding large outdoor gatherings where they delivered impassioned sermons to large crowds.
This movement fostered numerous reform movements aimed at improving society. Its emphasis on individual agency inspired abolitionism, temperance, and prison reform, as well as increased participation of women in religious life and social activism. Historically, it shaped American religious landscape and influenced political and social discourse, contributing to a more democratic and egalitarian society.