A Shopkeeper’s Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815–1837

The Second Great Awakening refers to a religious movement that occurred throughout America during the late 1700s and early 1800s. This movement consisted of a series of smaller religious revivals in towns and cities across the United States, during which a surge of religious fervor would spread across the town and draw new members and converts into Protestant churches. Finney’s religious revival, the focus of A Shopkeeper’s Millennium, was one of the revivals that made up the Second Great Awakening.

The Erie Canal is a large canal in New York State that runs from the cities of Buffalo to Albany, linking the Erie Canal to the Hudson River. The canal was dug from 1817 to 1823, with diggers first reaching the bourgeoning city of Rochester in 1821. The canal’s completion gave Rochester a direct connection to New York City’s international ports, allowing for Rochester to participate in international trade. The increase in business created by the canal caused Rochester’s population to boom, transforming it from a rural town into a major city.

Millennialism is a Christian movement centered around the biblical prediction that Jesus Christ will return and found God’s kingdom on Earth, ushering in a new millennium and utopia for mankind.