Plain And Easy Catechisms Analysis

Dr. Watts’ Plain and Easy Catechisms is a book containing a collection of different Catechisms, Hymns and Prayers designed for children to memorize during the Antebellum Period in the United States. With the expansion of transportation methods and efficient ways of sending mail, as well as a rise in religious interest, this book portrays the authors participation during the second Great Awakening and his personal desire to spread his religion. A belief that can be merely explained through an answer to a Catechism toward the beginning of the book that states “I must serve god, by keeping all his commandments, that is by doing every thing he requires of me, and avoiding everything that he forbids me” (7). But, essentially, this book finds its

He distinctly states “destroy my peace” which indicates that he was at peace and that he was assuming the child who would memorize it would be too. Considering the context of this text, 1817 was a fairly tranquil time for American conflicts for some americans. The War of 1812 had just come to an end and that surely held a stressor on much of the country. But, the quote reflects paranoia in the way that he is reminding the children to not to forget the consequences of sinning. He is fearing in himself that they will forget and commit acts of sin. This relates to the time period in way that people may have feared another war. It shows that the author has doubt in the future generations of the United States because he has to remind them again. The author is paranoid that peace will not be preserved because children will sin. This proves that the author is fearful himself and promotes that fear in his writing to children. While, the author wants to show that religion revolves around the preservation of peace in the world, he is really showing how obsessively devoted and fearful he was