Description

Overview:

In this lesson, students study the Great Awakening and one of its most notable preachers, George Whitefield, in an effort to answer the central historical question: Why was George Whitefield so popular? After viewing an online film clip and a brief PowerPoint to establish context for the Great Awakening and some of its “superstar” preachers, students are presented with 3 primary sources regarding Whitefield: 1) a long-after-the-fact anecdote by Benjamin Franklin, 2) a contemporary (but undated) account by a born-again Whitefield follower Nathan Cole, and 3) a hostile and dismissive letter by a rival preacher, Nathanael Henchman. For each, students answer sourcing and contextualization questions and formulate a hypothesis as to Whitefield‰ŰŞs popularity. A culminating class discussion addresses the central question.

Subject:

U.S. History

Level:

Middle School, High School

Material Type:

Lesson

Provider:

Stanford History Education Group

Provider Set:

Reading Like a Historian

Date Added:

09/23/2012