The Great Awakenings were several periods of widespread religious revival in American colonial and national history.

The First Great Awakening (c. 1730s-1740s) was a reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and the formalism of established churches.

It emphasized personal, emotional religious experience.

Preachers like Jonathan Edwards ('Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God') and the traveling evangelist George Whitefield delivered powerful, emotive sermons.

The Second Great Awakening (c. 1790s-1840s) was another major revival that emphasized free will and personal responsibility for salvation.

It was characterized by large outdoor 'camp meetings' and had a major impact on the American frontier.

The Second Great Awakening fueled the major social reform movements of the era, including abolitionism, temperance, and women's rights.

It also led to the growth of new denominations, such as the Methodists and Baptists, and the birth of new American religions like Mormonism.

These revivals challenged traditional religious authority and promoted a more democratic and individualistic form of Christianity.

The Great Awakenings played a significant role in shaping the religious and cultural landscape of the United States.