The Second Great Awakening that swept across the United States in the 1800s, had a unifying effect on the nation; especially the inclusion of Black Americans and women in leadership. As Tindall and Shi comment, “[the revivals] bridged many social, economic, political, and even racial divisions. Women especially flocked to the rural revivals and sustained religious life on the frontier” (Tindall and Shi 387-388). The inclusion of Black Americans and women in the Second Great Awakening gave fuel to the abolitionist movement as well as the feminist movement. This had an sustaining effect on the Second Great Awakening. Among the many Black Americans included in influencing the Second Great Awakening were men like Richard Allen who started the African
