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CHAPTER 4: THE FORMATION OF A NATIONAL GOVERNMENTOUTLINE OF U.S. HISTORYhad been signed, the two sides continuedfighting into 1815 near NewOrleans, Louisiana. Led by GeneralAndrew Jackson, the United Statesscored the greatest land victory ofthe war, ending for once and for allany British hopes of reestablishingcontinental influence south of theCanadian border.While the British and Americanswere negotiating a settlement,Federalist delegates selected by thelegislatures of Massachusetts, RhodeIsland, Connecticut, Vermont, andNew Hampshire gathered in Hartford,Connecticut, to express oppositionto “Mr. Madison’s war.” NewEngland had managed to trade withthe enemy throughout the conflict,and some areas actually prosperedfrom this commerce. Nevertheless,the Federalists claimed that the warwas ruining the economy. With apossibility of secession from theUnion in the background, the conventionproposed a series of constitutionalamendments that wouldprotect New England interests. Instead,the end of the war, punctuatedby the smashing victory at New Orleans,stamped the Federalists with astigma of disloyalty from which theynever recovered. 9THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENINGBy the end of the 18th century, many educated Americans no longerprofessed traditional Christian beliefs. In reaction to the secularism of the age,a religious revival spread westward in the first half of the 19th century.This “Second Great Awakening” consisted of several kinds of activity,distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. In NewEngland, the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism.In western New York, the spirit of revival encouraged the emergence of newdenominations. In the Appalachian region of Kentucky and Tennessee, therevival strengthened the Methodists and the Baptists, and spawned a new formof religious expression — the camp meeting.In contrast to the Great Awakening of the 1730s, the revivals in theEast were notable for the absence of hysteria and open emotion. Rather,unbelievers were awed by the “respectful silence” of those bearing witnessto their faith. The evangelical enthusiasm in New England gave rise tointerdenominational missionary societies, formed to evangelize the West.Members of these societies not only acted as apostles for the faith, but aseducators, civic leaders, and exponents of Eastern, urban culture. Publicationand education societies promoted Christian education. Most notable amongthem was the American Bible Society, founded in 1816. Social activisminspired by the revival gave rise to abolition of slavery groups and the Societyfor the Promotion of Temperance, as well as to efforts to reform prisons andcare for the handicapped and mentally ill.Western New York, from Lake Ontario to the Adirondack Mountains, hadbeen the scene of so many religious revivals in the past that it was known asthe “Burned-Over District.” Here, the dominant figure was Charles GrandisonFinney, a lawyer who had experienced a religious epiphany and set out topreach the Gospel. His revivals were characterized by careful planning,showmanship, and advertising. Finney preached in the Burned-Over Districtthroughout the 1820s and the early 1830s, before moving to Ohio in 1835to take a chair in theology at Oberlin College, of which he subsequentlybecame president.Two other important religious denominations in America — the Mormonsand the Seventh Day Adventists — also got their start in the Burned-Over District.8687