The Great Awakening: FRONTIER CAMP - MEETINGS AND CIRCUIT RIDERS 1800-1879

This book chronicles the fervent religious revival movement known as the Great Awakening as it swept across the American frontier between 1800 and 1879. It focuses particularly on the rise of frontier camp meetings and the vital role played by itinerant Methodist preachers, known as circuit riders. Drawing heavily on the experiences and writings of figures like Peter Cartwright, the book vividly portrays the raw, emotional, and often dramatic nature of these revivals, including mass conversions, intense preaching, and physical manifestations of religious fervor at gatherings like the famous Cane Ridge camp meeting. It explores the hardships, poverty, and dangers faced by circuit riders as they traversed vast territories to spread their message. The narrative also touches upon confrontations with opposition (including "rabble and rowdies"), interactions with other groups like the early Mormons, and reflections on the perceived decline of this "primitive" Methodist piety in later years. The book aims to provide insight into a dynamic and foundational period of American religious history, emphasizing the passionate, experiential faith that characterized the frontier revivals.