The Ferment of Reform and Culture AP – Ch

Reviving Religion  church attendance was a regular ritual  Alexis de Tocqueville declared that there was “no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America”

 Deism – Relied on reason rather than revelation  Deism helped inspire the Unitarian faith Believed that God existed in only one person Believed that God existed in only one person Belief in free will Belief in free will Possibility of salvation through good works Possibility of salvation through good works Appealed mostly to intellectuals Appealed mostly to intellectuals

Second Great Awakening  the most momentous episode in the history of American religion  Timothy Dwight Early revivalist leader Early revivalist leader Yale College Yale College  Frontier phase = camp meetings

Creation of New Sects  Presbyterians 1801 Plan of Union 1801 Plan of Union Joined with Congregationalists in New EnglandJoined with Congregationalists in New England  Baptists Simplicity of doctrine appealed to frontier people Simplicity of doctrine appealed to frontier people  Methodists Developed the most effective evangelical method Developed the most effective evangelical method “circuit rider”“circuit rider” Francis Asbury Francis Asbury

 Peter Cartwright Methodist circuit preacher Methodist circuit preacher  By 1840s the Methodists were the largest Protestant Church in the country  Camp Meetings sometimes involved thousands of people and several preachers

Burned-Over District  Western New York – residence of many Puritan descendants – was so tired of preachers sermonizing “hellfire and damnation” that it came to be known as the “Burned-Over District”  Charles Goodson Finney Greatest of the revival preachers Greatest of the revival preachers Devised the “anxious bench” Devised the “anxious bench” Denounced alcohol and slavery Denounced alcohol and slavery Human perfectibility Human perfectibility

Mormons  Joseph Smith 14 – had a vision form God 14 – had a vision form God 17 – angel led him to the Book of Mormon 17 – angel led him to the Book of Mormon 4 years later translated the book into English4 years later translated the book into English Founded church in 1830 Founded church in 1830  Anti-slavery beliefs put them in conflict with southern states

 Mormon Moses – Brigham Young  Moved the group to Utah where they established political and economic control

Public Schooling  Not educating the poor created ignorant rabble with the power to vote  schoolteachers were mostly men worried more about “lickin” than “larnin”  focused on the 3r’s – “reading”, “ritin”, and “rithmetic”  Horace Mann Pushed for education reforms Pushed for education reforms

Higher Education  demanded because of the religious zeal of the 2nd Great Awakening  wanted expanded curriculum  women’s higher education frowned upon men believed that too much learning injured the female brain men believed that too much learning injured the female brain

Age of Reform  Puritan view of the perfect society Free from cruelty Free from cruelty war war intoxicating drink intoxicating drink discrimination discrimination slavery slavery  reform campaigns allowed women out of the house and working in the arena of public affairs

 debtors prison 1830 – hundreds of penniless people were languishing in filthy holes 1830 – hundreds of penniless people were languishing in filthy holes  criminal codes – softening # of capital offenses being reduced # of capital offenses being reduced whipping and branding whipping and branding

 insanity people treated with incredible cruelty people treated with incredible cruelty Dorothea Dix – campaigned for the insane Dorothea Dix – campaigned for the insane  1828 – American Peace Society Formed because people wanted peace Formed because people wanted peace William Ladd William Ladd

Demon Rum  alcohol - curse on American society  weddings and funerals often became disgraceful brawls  decreased efficiency of labor and workers safety  threatened families  American Temperance Society – 1826 Crusade led by women Crusade led by women

Women in Revolt  women were supposed to subordinate themselves to their husbands  industrial revolution gave women new freedom able to avoid marriage able to avoid marriage  Women’s rights activist Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton Susan B Anthony Susan B Anthony  Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell First female graduate of a medical college First female graduate of a medical college

Utopia  Idea to create societies of cooperation and for the common good  Robert Owen – 1825 – founded a communal society of about 1000 people at New Harmony, Indiana  Radical experiment of the Oneida Community in New York in 1848