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The Kingdom Of Matthias Analysis

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Religion has been and always will be one of the core foundations in American society. This is especially true in the book, “The Kingdom of Matthias”. In this novel, Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz use memoirs and stories from many authors including (but not limited to) William Stone and Margaret Matthews. Matthias did not leave any written accounts behind so these articles are the only sources available to be analyzed. The story begins not with Matthias, but with a man named Elijah Pierson. This extremely religious man saw himself as a “messenger of God” and felt like he too could be like one of the Apostles in the Bible. The book then moves on to Robert Matthews who also like Elijah, was a devoted believer. Many mocked Matthias, which led to a whole other set of issues. In “The Kingdom of Matthias”, historians Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz give an enthralling look into the chaotic movements of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening through the trials of Elijah Pierson and Matthias. When Elijah Pierson moved to New York, he didn’t know what he was signing up for. As religious as he could be, Pierson was in over his head when he was trying to find his place in The Big Apple. (Of course, it wasn’t known as The Big Apple back then.) In his eyes, the inhabitants of New York were sinful …show more content…

The early 19th century was full of cultural advancements – from religious revivals to market revolutions to the evolution in both the economy and technology. While the Second Great Awakening was taking America by storm there were still many who were firm in their faith and fought to keep the male-dominated society that once was the law of the land. Women did not have much right to anything and this is clearly seen in “The Kingdom of Matthias”. “…(though he instead that women’ “natural and amiable timidity” should keep them out of the sphere of “the stronger sex”)…” (Johnson & Wilentz,

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