200 likes | 331 Views
Reform and Movements. Chapter 9. Main Idea. Revivalists and transcendentalists urged Americans to improve themselves and society Reformers set out to battle social problems like alcoholism, poor education, and inhumane prisons. Revivalists.
E N D
Reform and Movements Chapter 9
Main Idea • Revivalists and transcendentalists urged Americans to improve themselves and society • Reformers set out to battle social problems like alcoholism, poor education, and inhumane prisons
Revivalists • These movements were sparked by the Second Great Awakening • Charles Grandison Finney- Central figure in the revivalist movement. • His sermons emphasized individuals’ power to reform themselves
Revivalists • Lyman Beecher- Very popular preacher in Boston • He taught in simple terms, and believed that good people would make a good country. • What was the main message of the revivalist reformers?
Answer • They believed that people could reform themselves and in turn become good people which would lead to a good and prosperous country.
Transcendentalism • Rejected traditional religion • Transcendentalism: • Taught that the process of spiritual discovery and insight would lead a person to truths more profound than he or she could reach through reason • Declared that humans were naturally good • Urged people to be self-reliant and lead moral lives • Moral life involved helping reform society
Transcendentalists • Ralph Waldo Emerson: The leader of the Transcendental movement • Became one of America’s greatest thinkers • Supported various causes and urged others to do the same • “What is man born for, but to be a Reformer, a Reformer of what man is made; a renouncer of lies; a restorer of truth and good…?”
Transcendentalists • Henry David Thoreau: Renowned figure among New England Transcendentalists • Neighbor with Emerson • Wrote Walden, or Life in the Woods, his best known piece of literature • Jailed for 2 years for not paying taxes in protest to the war with Mexico • Devoted much of his time to the antislavery movement
Temperance Movement • An organized campaign to eliminate alcohol consumption • Reformers opposed alcohol consumption because it made people lose control • Reform Effort: American Temperance Society; 7,000 local members and 1,250,000 members
Temperance Movement • Members urged abstinence • Also established alcohol free hotels and passenger boats • A 33 year old lawyer [Abraham Lincoln] equated the temperance revolution to the American Revolution.
Impact of Temp. Movement • 1851 Maine became the first state to ban the manufacture and sale of all alcoholic beverages • Protests of brewers, distillers, and citizens would later lead to the repeal of these laws • Between the 1830’s and 1860’s alcohol consumption in the U.S. dropped dramatically
Reforms • Public Education: • Support for public education had declined heavily • Horace Mann Leads Reform • Wanted taxes to support public schools • He established schools which were divided by grade level, consistent curriculum, and training for teachers • Also was a fierce opponent of slavery
Reforms • Moral Education: the promoting of self-discipline and good citizenship. • Schools taught students how to behave, stand in line and wait their turn, deal with each other politely, and respect authority
Limits of Reform • Not all parts of the country moved at the same pace • Girls were discouraged from attending school • More schools in urban than in rural areas • More schools in the North than the South • Students were segregated if African Americans were enrolled
Reforming Prisons • Prisons were created in hope to have the prisoners would use that time to reflect and lead disciplined lives • Reality: men and women, young and old, sane and insane, first-time offenders and hardened criminals, all crowded together in horrible conditions • Inmates were dressed in rages, poorly fed, and chained together in unheated cells
Reforming Prisons • Dorothea Dix: Spent 2 years visiting every prison in Massachusetts • Submitted a very detailed report to the Massachusetts legislature • Her testimony led to the state improving prison conditions and creating separate institutions for the mentally ill • Her efforts led 15 other states to build hospitals for the mentally ill
Utopian Communities • Small societies dedicated to perfection in social and political conditions • A place were human greed, sin, and egotism did not exist, and people lived in prosperity • Short lived • Many Utopia fell because of laziness, selfishness, and fighting
Antislavery Movement • The abolitionist movement grew as cotton production became more profitable and slavery spread • The movement attracted a variety of activists, including Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth, along with William Lloyd Garrison
Antislavery Movement • Underground Railroad: a series of safe houses where escaping slaves could rest safely as they made their way north and into Canada • Harriet Tubman made 19 trips to help other runaways, and is the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad
Antislavery Movement • More support in the North than South, not ALL northerners supported it! • Some northern merchants feared that this movement would further strain relations between the North and South and harm trade • White workers feared competition from escaped or freed slaves willing to work for lower wages