Phoebe Palmer The 1857 Hamilton, Ontario Revival was a significant religious awakening that had a profound impact on the city of Hamilton, Canada, and beyond. This revival, a part of the larger Third Great Awakening, was characterized by fervent prayer, passionate preaching, and a renewed focus on personal holiness. It was a short but intense, three-year revival that led to a significant increase in church membership and attendance, and it had a lasting impact on the religious landscape of Canada. This article will explore the history of this revival, including its antecedents, major leaders, and churches involved, as well as its immediate and lasting results. Religion in Canada Prior to the 1857 Hamilton Revival Prior to the 1857 revival, religion in Canada was largely dominated by Christianity, with Catholicism being the most prominent denomination in Lower Canada (Quebec) and Protestantism, particularly Anglicanism, prevailing in Upper Canada (Ontario). While there was no official state church, a Christian culture permeated society, and the government cooperated with a limited number of “respectable” Christian churches. Many evangelical Christians in North America sensed some of the fire had gone out of evangelicalism. Compared to the heady days of John Wesley and George Whitefield, the evangelical...