American Demagogue: The Great Awakening and the Rise and Fall of Populism

by Jeff D. Dickey

In September 1740, New England experienced a social earthquake. It arrived not in the form of a great natural disaster or an act of violence, but with the figure of a twenty-year-old preacher. People were abuzz with his stunning oratory, his colorful theatrics, and his almost ungodly sense of power and presence.

When George Whitfield arrived in the small towns and hamlets that made up the American colonies, he proved to be much more than anything the residents could have expected. His reputation and growing legend had been built on his brilliant speeches and frightening tirades, and his fame now engulfed what would become America. He demanded his listeners repent their sins and follow the true word of God—his. He had knowledge that only he could unlock for the American people.

Whitefield's message shook the country to its core. Overwhelmed with passion, his listeners cried, screamed, sang, and danced. Despite their ecstasy, though, the converted also felt a great deal of fear growing. For Whitefield's message also carried a threat, and he brooked no dissent. Whitefield's power over his listeners grew, and New England was in the uproar of a social revolution never seen before in America.

Years later, they would call it a Great Awakening, and it would reordered the colonies and wend its way into the very fabric of what American would eventually become. Soon after Whitefield and his followers reached their zenith, things began to fall apart. And what once seemed so certain—a puritanical utopia—vanished like a dream, leaving the Awakeners stripped of their earthly power.

American Demagogue is the story of this rapid rise and equally steep fall, which would be echoed by authoritarian populists in later centuries and American demagogues yet to come. As we enter a new era of populism and demagoguery on both sides of the spectrum, we need to understand America’s paradoxical passion and disdain for demagogues throughout our history. Though centuries have passed, the themes remain the same—anger, grievance, dissension, self-promotion, and even brute force—as this cycle of rise and fall continues.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion, Politics, American History, Audiobook, Political Science

400 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading “American Demagogue”, I was reminded of “Fantasyland”, Kurt Anderson’s excellent history of religious and secular sects that have from its founding been ubiquitous in American life. Those of us who recoil in horror at some of the excesses and virulence we see in today’s populism and anti-establishment anger would be well advised to remember that there is a long tradition of it in America.
J.D. Dickey’s book deals primarily with the First Great Awakening that occurred near the middle of the 18th century. It was a time when the fire and rigid orthodoxy that the Puritans had brought to the New World in the previous century had begun to wane.
Religion remained ubiquitous in the colonies yet it had become a dull, uninspired thing that had ceased to arise passions in anyone, least of all the pastors who preached it from the pulpits.
Enter George Whitfield.
Arriving in the colonies in 1739, he quickly set them on fire both metaphorically and later on, almost literally.
Whitfield was a strict Calvinist who believed all men were at heart evil. All men were damned to hell unless they devoted every moment of their lives to God. This was no small concession in the New World where the teachings of the Church of England had become calcified and drinking, gambling, dancing and other perceived vices were common.
Rather than speak in the quiet, sonorous tones of their local pastors, Whitefield was thunderous in his style. Pointing, gesticulating, his long and unruly hair undoubtedly blowing, he was unlike anything the colonists had ever seen. When he screamed at them about their wickedness, people by the thousands agreed and crowds began to flock to his sermons.
Understandably uncomfortable with whatever it was Whitefield was stirring up, local pastors unhappy at losing their parishioners to who they believed to be an itinerate lunatic began denying him their churches for his sermons.
Whitfield instead set up large outdoor services in fields, barns, anywhere people could meet. With crowds of up to 20,000 at a time, suddenly England itself was on notice as to a potential threat to its religious control.
Also on notice was the ever capitalistic Ben Franklin whose own religious philosophy was diametrically opposed to Whitefield’s (Franklin essentially devised his own religion based on a checklist of virtuous living he created for himself). Franklin, ever ready to make some money, began to publish Whitefield’s sermons in his gazette. This enabled Whitefield’s message to truly takeoff.
Critics inevitably followed but more importantly, imitators as well. Each one seemingly more extreme than the last.
These new evangelists took their show on the road, busting into church services and denouncing pastors for not being pious enough, as well as leading mobs in the street to enforce their doctrine.
Old doctrines and preachers long dead were denounced, and on one occasion a prominent preacher even stripped to the waist and threw his trousers into a bonfire of burning books. (in fairness this was too much even for the fanatics of the age and the preacher quickly lost a great deal of his previous credibility).
Why is this important?
It’s significance lies in that in denouncing the Church of England, the entire idea of divine rule from England began to be called into question. Men such as John and Sam Adams and Ben Franklin were inspired by the revivalists and incorporated much of their rhetoric into their revolutionary writings.
It was also the first time that politics and religion became inextricably linked. When pastors were previously hesitant to involve themselves in seemingly petty partisan squabbles, that line was erased with the rise of these firebrand preachers.
There are also fascinating links to the Great Awakening and the rise of abolitionism, women’s rights, and other social reforms that would flower later but have their roots firmly in this era.
This is a hugely impressive book about a critical moment in American history. It is one that anyone interested in learning about how America has become what it is today in 2020 would be well served by reading.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine history of evangelicalism in Colonial America with a bait and switch title. You get a schism, and you get a schism! Everybody gets a schism!

Dickey's "American Demagogue," released in 2019 at the height/nadir of the Trump presidency, leans too far into that fact and tries to sell itself as something it's not. By its title and introduction, the reader thinks they are getting a history of populism and demagoguery throughout American history. Dickey even name-checks Father Coghlin, Huey Long, Andrew Jackson, the Know-Nothings, and of course DJT in the intro. But instead of a look at political populism (or even populism at all), we get a perfectly fine history of religious evangelicalism during the Colonial era.

"American Demagogue" is really a history of the various itinerant puritanical preachers that floated around the colonies during the mid-18th century and the "First Great Awakening" that arose during that time (the second being between 1830-1850). Naturally more vocal and "passionate" religiosity caused some conflict with the Church of England and also with other local denominations. Dickey does a fine job with the history and reading about the disputes and schisms between and among the revivalist crowd is entertaining (if a bit like scenes from Monty Python's "Life of Brian") but attempts to make a larger point about evangelicalism/revivalism and politics feel weaker.

That's mostly because evangelicals gonna evangelize and invariably there's going to be a spill-over into the socio-political and while various Founders (Adams, Franklin, et al) make appearances throughout Dickey's history, they're little more than cameos. American colonials were a religious people (of various stripes). That this religiosity informed or factored into their relations with Crown is not entirely surprising or insightful.

Ultimately, "American Demagogue" is something of a bait and switch. It's not really about populism (except insofar as the revivalists were popular) nor is it even really about demagoguery (except insofar as fire and brimstone preachers tended to preach about....fire and brimstone). It really is just a little history of Colonial era evangelism. That's a perfectly fine subject, but it ain't about Trump and attempts to drag him into it (again, almost exclusively in the intro and conclusion thankfully) weaken the effort.

[Kris Roram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting how politics in c. 1740 weren't that different from politics now, just had a different gloss. Religious mania vs. anti-immigration, populism vs. anti-populism, etc. The wheel turns, but still goes back to where it began....

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another small mind pushing its small, uniform thoughts. There is politics. And there is demagoguery and populism. One is Halal. The other is Haram. One is what *our people* do. The other is what *they* use to bewitch *our people*.

[Matthew O'Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read that discusses the beginning of American politics getting in bed with the religious revivalist movement. Great read for those interested in the history of American politics, and will be surprised to find how much of what was started then is still heard in our political parties today.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a highly readable, highly interesting account of the great awakening that spread throughout the American colonies from 1740 through the Revolutionary War. It is a thoroughly researched and deeply historical account and set entirely in its own context aside from a foreword and afterword which tie the phenomenon to the Trump phenomenon. It's clear that the author, at the time of writing, was thinking only about the historical era in question. This is helpful because, as a result, the book comes across as a relatively new framing of both the movement against Britain and a fuller account of the abolitionist movement, and an abolitionist movement which included African Americans themselves. I was not familiar with this religious movement in any depth and it significantly improved my historical understanding. The constant sparring over religion, and the use of religion as a lens for class and other social conflicts really did prepare the way for the Revolution. I also was not aware of the relationship of Princeton, Columbia and The University of Pennsylvania to the Great Awakening.

Though I don't want to belabor this, I think that precisely because the book in it's body, does not attempt to recontextualize the Great Awakening or demagoguery in the present day that it is actually easier for the reader to do so. While there is some echo of Trump in the oratory of some of the more aggressive and venal of the itinerants, what is far easier to understand is the assault on the values of the Enlightenment that we see from the critical theorist and the "woke." The idea of original sin, of preachers to demean their flocks, to rapturous applause, the militancy of college students, all have their contemporary echo in the intolerant left of today. It's fascinating. I highly recommend this book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit I was drawn to this volume at Bookshop Santa Cruz by the title, by a memory of my brilliant and now sadly departed grad school friend, Rob Cox, who did his PhD thesis in history on the Second Great Awakening, and by the cute, woodsy guy who was carting the book around the store. This is why bookstores are infinitely better than online shopping.

Before this book, I was ignorant of the Great Awakening, or what Jonathan Edwards did, or the conflicting sects in the Protestant church in the colonies, and all their arcane debates. Dickey makes a case that the ecstatic, ecumenical, fire-breathing style of preaching that George Whitfield brought to America in the 1740s, and his initial demagogic, take-no-prisoners attitude to establishment religion, catalyzed dramatic social change in the colonies. It brought in and gave voice to excluded folks – women, slaves, Indigenous people. It bred disrespect for authority that culminated in the preaching of Jonathan Mayhew. It emboldened both Calvinist conservatives and liberals who eventually evolved into abolitionists. It taught traditionalists and rebels how to fight one another. And ultimately, when the struggle arose with Great Britain, it led all these folks to unite, albeit briefly, in resistance.

The book rambles and the theme of demagoguery is weak and a little forced. But the dive into the role of religion and revival in the period leading up to the Revolution was impressive.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Demagogue: The Great Awakening and the Rise and Fall of Populism by Jeff Dickey is a book that I wasn't expecting, connecting the Great Awakening with Populist Fervor. The opening of the book is interesting historical ground, and the concluding section of the book felt a bit weak, but the middle section under the heading "sons" is rather excellent. There's a lot there that you can tease our for broader political science and religious studies. Dickey seemed torn at times between historical anachronism and his subject matter. Of course, there is the elephant in the room of former President Trump, but the book mostly keeps that elephant securely invisible. Chapters 6-9 stand out to me, but that may simply reflect my own idiosyncratic interests. I probably would never have finished the book it if wasn't free, so perhaps my views might have been altered somewhat it I purchased it. Give it a go if you're into religion and the social sciences, or if you are a pre-revolutionary American History enthusiast.

87/100

[Richard Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not really about demagoguery, and it's barely about populism, so I felt a bit misled by the title. It's really the story of the "Great Awakening" - a surge of evangelical ministers who swept through the colonies in the half century before the American Revolution. They were much like the evangelical preachers of later generations, firebrands known more for their ability to whip up relgious frenzy than for their erudition or intellect. Many were inconsistent. Some were sinners as bad or worse than the ones they preached against, and few were averse to getting rich. The appeal of these people has always escaped me.

It was interesting to see how Benjamin Franklin jumped on the bandwagon of the Great Awakening, not out of religious fervor as he was barely a believer, but because of the commercial possibilities. It diminished a little of my admiration for Mr. Franklin to see how he didn't hestitate to take advantage of the religious feelings of others to try to make a buck.

[Austin Lugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

In history class, and the many, many books on American history I've read, The Great Awakening was always a footnote to history, this thing that happened alongside everything else. Like a naturally occurring wildfire, there seemed to be no real cause beyond a sudden need for Jesus Christ. This book, however, suggests otherwise.

In the American Demagogue, we learn that The Great Awakening was actually a brilliant work of word of mouth marketing lead by such figures as George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin. It was not mere coincidence that the awakening occurred, but rather an extremely tactical and skilled take over of the American mind.

This is as much a Machiavalin handbook on the power of religion and its many different sects as it is a story of corruption and betrayal. But if only one thing can be taken from this book, its this: revolutions, whether violent or not, have been and always will be nothing more than a successful marketing campaign.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, the author is to be praised for telling the story in the characters own words and adding almost no analysis or judgement. On the other hand, the lack of analysis or thought into the long term consequences of the movement, beyond the connection to the early rhetoric of the American Revolution is a mark against the book. While the facts are relayed fairly well, little is done to analyze the end result. In a book on religious figures in a country still as politically religious as America, perhaps this is for the best, but those without a broader historical background will likely find it difficult to draw all of the potential lessons from this narrative.

[Sharolyn Stauffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realize my knowledge of the Great awakening of the 18th century in America was rudimentary after reading this. These preachers of the movement, including some very interesting women, were much more complex than I originally considered them. I am eager to read more of the sermons, though I was familiar with at least aspects of the most famous of them.

[George Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read. The detailed research made this accounting of The Great Awakening really quite interesting and enlightening. However, populism has risen and has fallen many times since and even now is ascending. Had more work been done in the postscript, this book would have gone from good to great. Maybe a part two in the offing.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent history of the First Great Awakening which often gets over shadowed by the second. The author did not get bogged down in the theology and let the people stay center. The impact on the revolution was a very interesting point.

[Nate Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about several itinerant preachers during the Great Awakening era in America. Details their demagogic style and the long tail of problems that caused throughout the colonies. Alludes to Trump and our populist moment without hitting you over the head with it.

[Shaun Gallagher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair accounting of the 1st Great Awakening.

[Craigtator · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if the text lives up to the title, but a good history of The Great Awakening and its follow on impacts.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual and interesting look at a the Great Awakening and its aftermath in the American context.

[Marisa Fair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy read, very informative on the rise of populism in an emerging country.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Revival and Revolution" would've been a better title.
Interesting insights into the Great Awakening and the American Revolution and how the two intertwined.