To fully analyze and comprehend the effects evangelicalism had on nineteenth century white women and the twentieth century African American an understanding of where this theology evolved from is imperative. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a theology coined as Calvinism underlined the provisions one underwent to liberate one's self to strive towards salvation. Calvinism, like a sect, had high standards for admission and publicly divulged those who met such standards. It was known within the community who met those standards and were bound for heaven and who failed to meet those standards therefore being damned to hell. This was characterized during mass when those who were saved were allowed to proceed to the alter, and those going to hell were required to stay sitting. Under Calvinism a sense of liberation may have been experienced by those saved, but as far as liberation for a particular race or gender, liberated was far from what one viewed life to be. For men and women, salvation was completely out of their hands. Saved or unsaved was the question that needed to be answered and the decision was unavoidably unreachable by any action, sacrifice or dedication a person undertook. God had already had his elite chosen and there was nothing one could do to ensure salvation. David Brainerd illustrated his frustration of this concept by saying, "I could not bear, that it should be wholly at God's pleasure, to save or to damn me, just as he would (Document 1, pg. 4)." Under this theology human beings were seen as having "sick souls" (William James) that were criminal, sinful, helpless and self-serving. A vivid comparison that depicts the vulgarity of the human condition is illustrated through the quote, "A sinner returns to his sin like a dog returns to his vomit." With Calvinism liberation, or trying to achieve equal rights and status (www.dictionary.com), wasn't in the...