The Great Awakening occurred in mid-18th Century. Forward thinking men such as Johnathan Edwards and George Whitefield instilled emotion into the colonists of the New World. The seeds of the great awakening were planted early in the 18th century. Church goers were complaining about how boring the "old dogs", or the traditional clergymen, were. Liberal ideas gradually began to challenge the old time religion.

The first 'revolutionary' man was Jacobus Arminius. He preached that individual free-will determined a persons fate rather than divine decree. He led to Johnathan Edwards.

Mr. Edwards proclaimed the folly of believing in salvation through good works and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God's grace. He wrote "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". This sermon was meant to shock the listeners into leading a faithful life.

Next came George Whitefield. Mr. Whitefield preached of human helplessness and divine omnipotence. His speaking manner, or eloquence, brought critical men to tears and caused cheap men to add to the collection basket.

How did the Great Awakening contribute to the development of the separation of Church and State in America?

The Great Awakening caused many schisms in countless denominations across the colonies and older clergy were undermined by the emotional spirituality. Though, the Great Awakening did tend to break down sectional boundaries and denominational lines. All of these effects contributed to the separation of the church and state. People who no longer went to church were still active politically and political leaders could see from the lasting effects of the Great Awakening that if the church and state was kept together then in the future an event similar to the great awakening could occur in the politics of the state.