Richard Chacon, Winthrop University – The Great Awakening and the American Revolution

Did a religious awakening lead to the birth of a nation?

Richard Chacon, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Winthrop University, explains how The Great Awakening laid the groundwork for the colonists’ freedom fight.

Dr. Richard J. Chacon is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Winthrop University. He has conducted anthropological investigations throughout Latin America. He documented the subsistence patterns and belief systems of the Yanomamö of Venezuela, the Yora of Peru and the Achuar (Shiwiar) of Ecuador. He investigated ritual violence among the Otavalo and Cotacachi Indians of Highland Ecuador. Additionally, he studied the traditional belief patterns of the Kuna of Panama. His specializations are in optimal foraging theory, Amerindian subsistence strategies, warfare, ritual violence, native beliefs, the development of complex societies, collective action, long distance trade, ethnohistory and the effects of globalization in addition to analyzing the impacts of missionization on indigenous peoples. He has a special interest in encouraging members of minority communities to pursue higher education. He currently serves as Editor for Springer’s Anthropology and Ethics Series. His publications include: The Great Awakening and Southern Backcountry Revolutionaries. Co-authored with Michael Scoggins. New York: Springer (2014). The Ethics of Anthropology and Amerindian Research: Reporting on Environmental Degradation and Warfare (Eds., R. Chacon and R. Mendoza), New York: Springer (2012).  North American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence (Eds., R. Chacon and R. Mendoza), Tucson: University of Arizona Press (2007). Latin American Indigenous Warfare and Ritual Violence (Eds., R. Chacon and R. Mendoza), Tucson: University of Arizona Press (2007). The Taking and Displaying of Human Body Parts as Trophies by Amerindians (Eds., R. Chacon and D. Dye), Springer: New York (2007).

The Great Awakening and the American Revolution

The Great Awakening was a major religious revival that began in 1739 and spread rapidly throughout colonial North America. Revolutionary War historian Michael Scoggins and I, a cultural anthropologist, became interested in how this revival affected the southern colonies. Our research uncovers how this movement cultivated the ground on which the seeds of the American Revolution would sprout.

Our work also demonstrates how and why this movement spread so rapidly, especially in the Southern Backcountry. Most significantly, our research shows that this 18^th century revival came about as a reaction to the Enlightenment. The Great Awakening cultivated a mindset that sought to overthrow established religious authority.

This revival would make it easier for colonists to overthrow England’s political authority. Thus, the stage for the American Revolution was set. Additionally, our investigation documents (from a cross-cultural perspective) how religious revivals have fueled other revolutionary movements around the world. Revolutions such as the Celtic Druid Revolt, the Maji-Maji Rebellion of East Africa and the Mad Man’s War in Southeast Asia.

Lastly, our work addresses the ethical ramifications of minimizing the role that religion plays in fueling revolutions. This final point is important given how some scholars minimize the role that religion plays in spurring social change. Our work concludes that any attempt to divorce religion from history is misguided because it fails to fully acknowledge the beliefs and values that motivated individuals to act.

Recently, our findings were published but we continue research on the nexus of religion and revolution.