Support: How to Succeed in America

Charles Grandison Finney was a prominent religious figure during the early 19^th century. He was the leader of the Protestant evangelist, spreading the religion nationwide. An evangelist is a person who travels in order to convince non-believers to believe. Finney started off as a local preacher at the church of St. Lawrence Presbytery. Here, Finney began expressing and spreading his evangelist beliefs to multiple followers and began traveling nationwide. He gained the attention of multiple people and began accomplishing his goal of converting people.  Finney was able to create a large base of support for the religion at the time, which helped create a widespread for the Protestant religion.

George Washington’s Farewell Address was a vision of what he saw for the coming age of the United States of America. In the address, George Washington made a very important point about the Government succeeding. The point that he made was when he said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to the political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports” (75). This point can relate to Charles Grandison Finney because he is making a direct connection to how Finney eventually succeeds in spreading his religion. The way that Finney did this was by the support he obtained throughout the years in which he spread his Protestant religion. Washington explains how support is what gives a group success, as well as power in any situation. Finney was able to create a vast majority of Protestants among the American community, and this gave the religion more power.

Charles Grandison Finney seems like one of those preachers that you see on TV at 3 in the morning. He was all about convincing people to be a part of Protestant Christianity. He would single people out and preach to multiple people, explaining their purposes in life as well as how Protestantism would help them. Finney seemed to be an average American of his time. He was able to express his rights that are guaranteed to him in the Bill of Rights, by expressing his religion freely. Finney was able to show another example of liberty within the country. He was able to express himself freely, and influence the country by doing so. The Preamble states that we will have Domestic Tranquility, and the only problem that I feel that can arise from Finney’s evangelistic ways could be the discrimination factor. If the people, who support Finney’s beliefs, create a large enough, influential enough, and powerful enough group, it has the ability to create chaos and havoc among the country. If this group does create this kind of chaos, it could interfere with the country being domestically tranquil.