Evangelicals have made numerous strides in American society over the years. Evangelicalism is a term that refers to movements that carried out a series of revivals between the 17th and 19th centuries, also known as The Great Awakenings. Revivals have occurred in almost every church age. The First Great Awakening changed modern evangelism and the way churches are run today. It is important to understand what the Great Awakening was, what caused it, and what effects it created. These revivals were movements within the church to revive faith. Revivals occurred when people had a growing interest in the church. Some people who were already believers would simply renew their lives within the church and with God. This was a commitment to religious faith or service in the church or missions. These revivals usually occurred when there was a long period of dull inactivity within the church, followed by increased passion toward religion. This movement targeted every individual; male and female, poor and rich, black and white. The focus was on the individual; speakers and pastors simplified Bible verses to make them more evaluable and applicable to everyday life. Religious revivals focused more on personal experience rather than biblical teachings. Revivals protested the intellectual nature and promoted the idea that the heart was the center of the relationship with God. The churches' focus was personal with their members. They wanted converted Christians to pursue their own holiness. Revivals encouraged reading and the idea of ​​a love of the Bible. The revivals shook up institutionalized congregationalism with a new emphasis on the person... middle of paper... as a Christian. There was a new emphasis on education and people wanted their preachers to be well educated, so colleges founded by some denominations were established. During this period there was also greater separation between church and state. Before the church was universal and now the church was dividing into new denominations. People began to realize that the power was in their hands, not so much in the state church. The Great Awakening was a huge movement that impacted the church today and evangelicals today. Religious revivals in American history cannot be forgotten. They have shaped evangelicals in every aspect, from religious beliefs to sermon methods. Understanding what these revivals are, what caused them, and what impact they have is important to understanding the current church in American society.