Major Leaders of The Second Great Awakening

Major leaders and their accomplishments

One Major leader of the second great awakening was Charles Grandison Finney. Finney was one of the most influential preachers at the time. When he preached, his listeners shrieked, moaned and even fainted. Finney traveled on horseback to deliver his message to anybody that would listen. His duty was to spread the word about personal salvation to others. Finney and other preachers rejected the 18th century Calvinistic belief that God predetermined one's salvation or damnation. Instead he emphasized individual responsibility for seeking salvation and insisted that everyone could improve themselves in society. Finney is called the "father of modern revivalism" by some historians. Finney paved the way for future revivalists like Dwight L. Moody and Billy Graham.