Religious Awakening Chapter 4, Section 1

Second Great Awakening The revival of religious feeling in the U.S. during the 1800s was known as the Second Great Awakening. Many preachers believed that industrialization had caused immorality and wanted to correct this problem for the country’s future. These preachers were known as revivalists, because they wanted to revive religion in the U.S. The more emotional form of worship (evangelical) included preachers such as Charles Grandison Finney and Lyman Beecher.

New Religious Groups Form Two major religious groups formed during this time period. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, led by Joseph Smith, started in 1830. They are known as Mormons. Some Puritans in New England believed that instead of a Trinity, God should be seen as a single entity. This group was called the Unitarians.

Discrimination Against Non-Protestants The Second Great Awakening was Protestant-dominated. Those that weren’t faced discrimination. Mormons lived in their own communities and had many practices that others frowned upon. They owned land as a group and voted as a group, giving them both economic and political power. Mormons were pushed westward until they reached Utah. Catholics and Jews were also discriminated against. Americans feared Catholics’ loyalty to the Pope; Their willingness to work for low wages threatened other workers; Jews were prevented from holding public office in many states.

Utopias and Transcendentalism Two new religious groups were more concerned with creating a more perfect society. Utopian communities separated themselves from the rest of society and aspired to be perfect societies. Shaker communities separated men and women and relied on crafts for money. Transcendentalists developed a new way to look at God, humanity and nature. They believed people should go beyond, or transcend, their senses to learn about the world. Listen to nature and own consciences rather than religious doctrines. Famous transcendentalist: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

The Women’s Movement Chapter 4, Section 4

The Women’s Movement In the early 1800s, women had very few rights. Upon marriage, the property a woman owned became her husband’s. Goal: achieve greater rights and opportunities for women. Leaders: Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass Women, who gained strength by working for other causes, realized they had very little rights themselves.

Seneca Falls Convention In 1848, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized a convention in Seneca Falls, New York. A Declaration of Sentiments, outlining the aims of the convention was read during the convention. The language was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. The convention inspired many women, including Amelia Bloomer, who pushed for reform in womens' dress, published a newspaper called The Lily. Susan B. Anthony became a leader in the fight for women’s suffrage– the right to vote.

Closing Question What was the role of religion in the early 19th century? What new religions emerged during this time?