Mapping the Great Awakening

Samson Occom

By Henry Thornton

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The Great Awakening was a period of religious revivals that occurred in the 18th century in America. This was a period in which people were being exposed to Protestantism more than ever before. The Great Awakening began in England, but traveled to America in the 18th century. It is very thought provoking to look at how different groups of people responded to the Great Awakening. It is particularly interesting to see how the Native American people responded to this religious revival, and to track where some of the more influential agents responsible for educating Native Americans were during the Great Awakening. This was the main focus of my group’s project, to track the progress of important Native American influencers such as Samson Occom, Eleazar Wheelock, and Samuel Kirkland.

Eleazer Wheelock (1711-1779)

The Native American people already had a rich, well-established culture by the time the English arrived in America, so it is fascinating to look at the Native Americans’ response to a cultural-centric movement, such as the Great Awakening. One of the key players in introducing Protestant education to Native American people was Eleazar Wheelock.
Wheelock was a congregational minister from Connecticut, and, among other things, he is well known for educating Native Americans at Moor’s Charity School. Wheelock was deeply concerned about the declining numbers of Native Americans, and he took on many Native American students. One of these students was Samson Occom, who was perhaps the most influential revivalist to the Native American community.

Samson Occom (1723-1792)

Samson Occom was a Mohegan Indian and one of the first Native Americans to be ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Occom was introduced to Wheelock through his mother, and Wheelock quickly agreed to take Occom in as a student.1 Occom proved to be a successful student, and he rapidly developed into one of Wheelock’s most faithful agents of revivalism. Occom’s first major project was to travel to the Montauk reservation and deliver religious education to the Montauketts through preaching and schooling.2

Occom traveled to the Montauk reservation in Long Island, New York in 1749. This was immediately after concluding his studies with Wheelock, and Occom remained among the Montauk Indians for many years. Throughout most of the 1750s Occom remained among the Montauk, but according to Occom’s journal he actually went on a mission along the east coast briefly in 1750.3 This mission unfortunately wasn’t very thoroughly recorded, but it is likely Occom visited the Oneida Indians during this traveling. Occom married Mary Fowler, a member of the Montauk nation, in 1751 violating usual customs. Eventually, in 1759 Occom was finally recommended and accepted for ordination, he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister on August 29, 1759.4

Samuel Kirkland (1741-1808)

In early 1760s, Occom was among the Oneida Indians on their reservation in New York.This was another Native American tribe that Occom spent a great deal of effort in educating. Aside from Occom, Wheelock had also sent another one of his students on the task of educating the Oneida. Samuel Kirkland attended Moor’s Charity School as another of Wheelock’s protégés.5 Kirkland, unlike Occom, was largely stationary in his pursuits, as he lived among the Oneida for nearly 40 years. During his time with the Oneida, Kirkland made many great strides in providing the Oneidas with religious schooling, starting with his opening of a school in 1766.

 

Moor’s Charity School

In 1763, Occom moved back onto his father’s land on the Mohegan reservation in Montville, Connecticut.6 Occom lived among the Mohegan building his house and was an open critic of Mohegan schooling and ministry. Less than a year after moving back to the Mohegan reservation, Occom was already discussing the prospect of a European fundraising trip for Moor’s Charity School. Finances were a consistent problem in Occom’s life, as his missionary lifestyle required a great deal of funding to keep going. The Scottish Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge was a key supporter for Occom, and they provided funds for his mission trips many times over the course of his career. Despite financial problems, Occom remained eager to go on the fundraising mission to England according to a letter between him and Wheelock in 1764.

It wasn’t until December 23, 1765 that Occom accompanied by Nathaniel Whitaker, boarded a ship traveling to England.7 Occom and Whitaker arrived in Brixham, England on February 3, 1766.8 Upon arrival in London, George Whitefield immediately proved to be very accommodating offering Occom and Whitaker housing. Whitefield also allowed Occom to deliver a his first sermon in England at Whitefield’s tabernacle.9 Occom preached many times in England and met with many high profile people including King George III. On July 24, 1766 Whitaker and Occom board a ship traveling back to America after raising nearly 12,000 £10 (an equivalent of nearly $2,000,000 today)

Occom Spent much of his later life among the Mohegan, but he still traveled around the northern part of the eastern seaboard quite often in order to preach. The great awakening was a pivotal point in the development of America; in many ways the introduction and adoption of religious freedom acted as a prequel for America’s adoption of political freedom in 1776. The education and proselytization of Native Americans is an important chapter in American History, and Occom’s travels paint a clear picture of the effort that went into delivering religious schooling to the Native American people.

 

Notes

  1. Samson Occom and Joanna Brooks, The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Leadership and Literature in Eighteenth-Century Native America (New York: Oxford Univ. Press 2006) 10.
  2. Samson Occom and Joanna Brooks, The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Leadership and Literature in Eighteenth-Century Native America (New York: Oxford Univ. Press 2006) 13.
  3. Occom, Samson. “Samson Occom, journal, 1750 June 21 to 1751 February 9.” Samson Occom Journal, 1750 June 21 to 1751, 1-16.
  4. Samson Occom and Joanna Brooks, The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Leadership and Literature in Eighteenth-Century Native America (New York: Oxford Univ. Press 2006) 17.
  5. Occom, Samson. “Samson Occom, journal, 1750 June 21 to 1751 February 9.” Samson Occom Journal, 1750 June 21 to 1751 February 9, 1750, 1-16.
  6. Samson Occom and Joanna Brooks, The Collected writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan: Leadership and Literature in eighteenth-century native America (New York: Oxford Univ. Press 2006) 20.
  7. Samson Occom, “Samson Occom, journal, 1765 November 21,” Samson Occom Journal, 1765 November 21, November 21, 1765, 4.
  8. Samson Occom, “Samson Occom, journal, 1765 November 21,” Samson Occom Journal, 1765 November 21, November 21, 1765, 5-6.
  9. Samson Occom, “Samson Occom, journal, 1765 November 21,” Samson Occom Journal, 1765 November 21, November 21, 1765, 11-12 .
  10. Samson Occom, “Samson Occom, journal, 1765 November 21,” Samson Occom Journal, 1765 November 21, November 21, 1765, 48.

Bibliography

 

For Additional Reading

  • The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan by Joanna Brooks and Robert Warrior
  • The Occom Circle Project produced by Dartmouth College

 

 

 

 

 

 

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