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University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 A Xerox Education Company 73-2103 REED, Charles Robert, 1945- I4AGE ALTERATION IN A MASS MOVEMENT: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF THE LOG COLLEGE IN THE GREAT AWAKENING. le Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1972 Speech I \ University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan t (S) C o p y rig h t by Charles Robert Reed 1972 IMAGE ALTERATION IN A MASS MOVEMENT: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF THE LOG COLLEGE IN THE GREAT AWAKENING DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Charles Robert Reed, B,A., M.Div.t M,A. ***** The Ohio State University 1972 Approved by A d v iser Department of Speech-Communicatlon PLEASE NOTE: Some pages may have indistinct print. Filmed as re c e iv e d . University Microfilms, A Xerox Education Company ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to extend my gratitude to Dr. William Brown, major adviser, for his guidance in the writing of this dissertation. I also thank Dr. James Golden and Dr. John Makay for their criticism of the manu­ s c r i p t . In addition, I wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Inter- Library Loan Department of the Ohio State University Library and the assistance of the Presbyterian Historical Society, both of which helped in the gathering of source material. Finally appreciation is extend­ ed to my wife, Beryl, for typing both the first draft and the final copy of the manuscript. „ ASP*— i i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. i i C h ap ter I . INTRODUCTION ....... ............................................................. 1 Purpose and Scope Justification for the Study H y p o th esis Methodology Plan of Study I I . RELIGION MOVES THE MASSES: THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY REVIVALS .................................................................................................. 17 The Revival of Religion The Rise of the Log College in the Presbyterian C hurch Ideological Beginnings of the Presbyterian Revival in the Log College I I I . CONVERSION: THE CURE FOR SOCIAL UNREST ................................ 69 The Outlook of the Masses The Failure of the Presbyterian Church The Source of a New Image IV. THE REACTION AGAINST THE MOVEMENT: LET NO MAN DESPISE THY YOUTH....................................................................................... 110 The Actions of the Movement The Reactions of the Establishment The Rhetorical Stance of the Movement V. THE RETALIATION OF THE MOVEMENT: A FORM OF GODLINESS , ................................................................................................. 143 The Presbytery of New Brunswick The Defense of the Movement The Expulsion of the Movement The Aid of the Presbytery of New York H i iv V I. INSTITUTIONALIZATION: THAT THEY MAY BE O N E..................... 208 The Synod of New York The Union of the Two Synods V II. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION'.......................................................................... 238 The Major Image Changes An Assessment of the Movement’s Rhetoric Implications of This Study BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................... 257 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION One of the most influential and extensive religious movements occurred in the eighteenth century. Now known as the Great Awakening, it .began in a number of isolated localities and spread through every colony. The reforming zeal of its leaders often aroused the animosity of the denominational conservatives. As a result, the proponents and the opponents of the revivals engaged in a rhetorical battle which makes this movement a rich field of study for the rhetorical c r i t i c . The Great Awakening altered the course of every major denomina­ tion in America; one in particular, the Presbyterian Church, divided over the revivals. As early as 1739, internal dissension plagued the Synod of Philadelphia, the organizational structure of American Pres- byterianism. Tension had been mounting between the opposing factions in the denomination for over two years. Each side was firm in its convictions and a confrontation appeared inevitable. Compromise was u n lik e ly . As leader of the evangelical wing of the church, Gilbert Tennent came to the 1739 synod meeting internally as divided as was the ruling body. For the past ten years he and his followers had traveled through* out the Middle Colonies offering a personalized religion. Their efforts had resulted in hundreds of conversions to their cause. 2 However, the denominational hierarchy had frowned upon their emo­ tional preaching and had passed several measures aimed at lim iting their effectiveness. As a result, Tennent was forced to decide wheth­ er to remain loyal to Presbyterianism or loyal to revivalism. He chose the latter alternative and issued a sharp protest condemning the synod's actions against the movement. When this protest went unheeded, Tennent turned on his former colleagues and led his follow­ ers in a rhetorical assualt on anyone hostile to the revivals. His verbal outbursts were instrumental in causing a schism in the denomi­ nation; however, ultimately they also fostered the reforms he desired. Purpose and Scope This dissertation studies the rhetoric of a movement in a move­ ment; instead of dealing with the macroscopic whole termed the "Great Awakening," it is concerned only with a microscopic part of that whole, specifically the part that the graduates of the Log College, a small one-room school with a single instructor, played in the re­ vivals. Therefore, its scope is limited to a single denomination in a particular area. The denomination is the Presbyterian Church, for all the Log College ministers were Presbyterians; the place is the Middle Colonies--Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey—for these were the colonies in which the Presbyterians had s e t t l e d . Approximately twenty men graduated from the Log College, a ll except one becoming m inisters. Therefore, these twenty men are the chief participants in the movement and the subjects of this study, along with several others who became early supporters of the revival by aligning themselves with the Log College party. The final limi­ tation regards the period of time involved, 1725-1758, for the Synod of Philadelphia licensed reform leader Gilbert Tennent on the first date, and the movement formally ended on the second date when it re­ united with the institutionalized church. Therefore, this disserta­ tion is mainly concerned with what happened in the Presbyterian Church in the Middle Colonies during a period of thirty-three years as a result of the rhetoric of the Log College alumni. Although this study must of necessity treat a great deal of historical and socio­ logical data, the primary emphasis is on the roles which messages played in winning and alienating the various receivers. This is a message-audlence centered study. Justification for the Study An analysis of the rhetoric of the Log College graduates in the Great Awakening is relevant for several reasons. First, it is his­ torically important, for it deals with a subject which scholars have overlooked; no scholarly writing has demonstrated the effect the Log College has had on the Great Awakening: Presbyterian church his­ torians have been the only ones recognizing the importance of this institution, and none of them have written a detailed work. There­ fore, the names of Jonathan Edwards and George W hitefield have be­ come synonymous with the eighteenth century religious