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

Super Short Summary

In A Shopkeeper's Millennium, historian Paul E. Johnson analyzes the social factors that led to Rochester, New York's religious revival in the 1830s, driven by economic and class tensions. The book explores how industrialization, political disputes, and class divisions spurred temperance and Sabbatarian movements, ultimately inviting minister Charles Finney to preach. Finney’s revival successfully united denominations, appealed to the middle class, and led to increased evangelical activism, with employers pushing workers towards church membership, thus intertwining religious fervor with economic discipline. The narrative includes discussions of problematic drinking behaviors.