Chapter 4: Religion and Reform 1812-1860

Religious Awakening Second Great Awakening – began Section 1 Religious Awakening Second Great Awakening – began in the early 1800’s and lasted for half a century. Protestant preachers believed Americans had become immoral. Revivalists – these were preachers who wanted to revive, or reenergize, the role of religion in America.

Charles Grandison Finney – a former attorney who went on to be one of the most influential revivalists. Gave passionate sermons. This evangelical style of worship, designed to elicit strong emotions and attract converts. During this time tension grew between church and state. The debate continues today between church and state. African Americans were welcomed at the revivals. Some African Americans established their own, separate churches. A former slave, Richard Allen, led a group of Philadelphians in forming their own church in 1787.

New Religious Groups are Formed Joseph Smith – Started in the state of New York. In 1839, Smith and a few of his followers organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the members are commonly called, Mormons. Unitarians – Started in New England, members argued that instead of seeing God as a “Trinity,” people should see God as a single divine being.

Discrimination Mormons – Joseph Smith was killed after he declared his intention to run for President. Roman Catholic – Protestants thought Catholicism was incompatible with American ideals of democracy. They thought Catholics would be loyal to the Pope. Jews – were not allowed to hold public office.

Utopias and Transcendentalism Utopian communities – these individuals chose to distance themselves from society by setting up communities based on unusual ways of sharing property, labor, and family life. They aspired to make perfect communities.

Transcendentalists – believed that people could transcend, or go beyond, their senses to learn about the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson – a former Unitarian minister. He wrote about the universe in essays, sermons, and poems. Henry David Thoreau – was a follower of Emerson. Was arrested for not paying taxes, “civil disobedience” must be true to oneself even you break the law.

Section 2 Reforming Society

Noah Webster – Created The American Spelling Book, he emphasized America’s differences from England. Public School Movement –also called the common school movement, sought to establish such a system of tax-supported public schools.

Horace Mann – lead the way in the public school movement Horace Mann – lead the way in the public school movement. He grew up poor and had firsthand experience with inadequate schooling. Leader in the Massachusetts Senate Pushed for the creation of a state board of education Pushed for free public schools and children would have to attend by law Pushed for well-educated professional teachers

Dorothea Dix – worked tirelessly to help Americans who were imprisoned or mentally ill. She taught Sunday School at a prison and realized that the mentally ill was housed with hardened criminals. Penitentiary Movement - reformers felt that prisons should be a place to make prisoners feel penitence, or sorrow for their crimes.

Temperance Movement – an effort to end alcohol abuse and the problems it created. Temperance means drinking alcohol in moderation. Some reformers believed in prohibition, or a complete ban. Neal Dow – earned a worldwide reputation for his lectures on alcohol abuse, he became mayor in Portland, Maine and succeeded in passing laws that restricted the sale of alcohol.

The Antislavery Movement Section 3 The Antislavery Movement

Cruel Treatment of Slaves: All worked from dawn to dusk They were beaten and whipped Separated from family Took a huge mental toll, those who survived did it through religion and a mix of traditional African and Christian beliefs.

Resisting Slavery Many slaves fought back by breaking tools, outwitting their overseers, and escaping to the North or Mexico. Freedman – a former slave Nat Turner – led a revolt in 1831, ended up killing nearly 60 people before he was caught.

The Fight for Slavery abolition movement – By the early 1800’s, a growing number of Americans opposed slavery and wanted it to be abolished, or ended, they became known as abolitionists. William Lloyd Garrison – a printer in Boston, who became one a leading abolitionists. In 1831, he began to publish his own antislavery newspaper, The Liberator

Frederick Douglass – a former slave that was well spoken who told stories about the difficulties he had encountered as a former slave. During the Civil War he was an advisor to President Lincoln and convinced Lincoln to let the freedman fight for the North. John C. Calhoun – a southerner who believed that slavery was vital to America’s way of life. Gag Rule – a law which prohibited debate and discussion in Congress on the subject of slavery. Passed in 1836, it was renewed annually for eight years.

The Women’s Movement Section 4 Women face limits: could not own property, hold office, or vote. They were not to speak in public and were not afforded educational opportunities. Some groups, such as, Native Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans had significant amount of power. In these cultures, women controlled or influenced work patterns and family structure. Matrilineal – the inheritance of family names and property followed the female line in the family.

Sojourner Truth – a former slave from New York who gave powerful speeches and arguments. Industrialization in the 1820’s and 1830’s led to the first opportunity for women to work outside the home. Not only did it provide economic independence, but also, social independence. Women’s Movement - women began to argue that they lacked the same power that slaves lacked. This created a movement working for greater rights and opportunities for women.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Margaret Fuller Transcendentalists who thought women’s powers of intellect was equal to men’s. Lucretia Mott Worked with Stanton to organize the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton Raised a family and wanted women to win the right to vote.

Seneca Falls Convention Took place in 1848, Seneca Falls, New York. The meeting attracted hundreds of men and women. Not many improvements, but it marked the beginning of the women’s movement in the U.S. Amelia Bloomer – attended the convention and began to publish the newspaper , The Lily, in which she advocated women’s rights. Suffrage – right to vote Married Women’s Property Act – guaranteed property rights for women