A Shopkeeper’s Millennium Understanding
Paul E. Johnson went through extensive research to trace the roots of the revival in Rochester, New York. The thesis of the Shopkeeper’s Millennium is that “Evangelicalism was a middle-class solution to the problems of class, legitimacy, and order generated in the early stages of manufacturing” (p.138). Also, that is to say that the uprise of religion, along with the belief of “free will,” gave entrepreneurs the ultimate form of social control in which they could use to their advantage. I would have to agree with Johnson’s claim because of the social and economical changes he lists spurred by this religious reform.
One of the reasons as why I agree with Johnson’s claim is how society was transformed during …show more content…
Before factories and industrialization, middle-class women had different roles in the household. They created the clothes and materials by hand and would take countless hours. With the creation of factories, these were already being manufactured. This gave women a lot of free time to dedicate it to preaching about the revivals. This became important for any job opportunities relied solely if you were abstinent as well a religious member of the church. Other bosses required church attendance and one could lose their job from not going. As the revival swept the nation, more people started working and converting. In terms of problems of legitimacy, there was also the creation of new political parties, specifically the Whigs-who were evangelical elites that worked to abolish slavery and also pass prohibition laws. This is all evidence that the religious revivals were the solutions of the problems Johnson had stated.
In conclusion, with all the evidence Johnson argued for in his book, I agree that evangelicalism posed as a solution for the complications in the workspace, in social classes, and law. People felt like it was their moral duty to live a sinful life and inspire others to do so as well. This all justifies the reason for the success of the revival in Rochester and why it connected so well to the other aspects of the industrial