A clue to the depth of the Awakening’s break with the past, however, lies in the revivalists’ message. By concentrating on the individual’s need for salvation, the Awakeners tended to neglect the Puritan concern for the political and social implications of the gospel. With the “covenant of grace” limited to individuals—twiceborn men and women—the “covenant people” idea shifted easily from the church to the American people in general. As a result the mission of the “elect people” shifted subtly from a Puritan “holy commonwealth” to the American people’s struggle for “liberty.”
