According to Page Smith, how were felon-immigrants particularly susceptible to religious conversion in the mid-eighteenth century?

According to Page Smith, how were felon-immigrants particularly susceptible to religious conversion in the mid-eighteenth century?

• A. They were young and had no roots; they could be swept away by overwhelming feeling; they were a class dominated by passion.
• B. They had strong family roots and tradition.
• C. They were highly educated and skeptical.
• D. They had religious training elsewhere.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that Page Smith sees felon-immigrants as especially vulnerable to religious conversion because they were young, rootless, and driven by strong passions. Being new arrivals with little family or community grounding, they could be swept up by the emotional, swipe-you-off-your-feet fervor of mid-18th-century revival meetings. The Great Awakening offered a compelling path to belonging, moral renewal, and a new identity, which appealed to those who had few anchors or secure social ties and who were responsive to intense emotional appeals. In contrast, having deep family roots or tradition would provide stability that reduces susceptibility to sudden religious upheaval. A highly educated and skeptical person would likely question or resist the revival’s emotive style, rather than be moved by it. Those with religious training elsewhere would already bring established beliefs and practices, making them less likely to experience the kind of transformative, emotionally charged conversion described.

The main idea here is that Page Smith sees felon-immigrants as especially vulnerable to religious conversion because they were young, rootless, and driven by strong passions. Being new arrivals with little family or community grounding, they could be swept up by the emotional, swipe-you-off-your-feet fervor of mid-18th-century revival meetings. The Great Awakening offered a compelling path to belonging, moral renewal, and a new identity, which appealed to those who had few anchors or secure social ties and who were responsive to intense emotional appeals.

In contrast, having deep family roots or tradition would provide stability that reduces susceptibility to sudden religious upheaval. A highly educated and skeptical person would likely question or resist the revival’s emotive style, rather than be moved by it. Those with religious training elsewhere would already bring established beliefs and practices, making them less likely to experience the kind of transformative, emotionally charged conversion described.