Improving Society Chapter 8

Reforming the Spirit In the 1830’s many Americans became interested in social reform. -social reform: organized attempts to improve conditions of life. Jacksonian Democracy Democracy in Age of Jackson encouraged reform More white male Americans could vote because most states dropped the property requirements for voting. Some reformers believed all men should vote and be able to hold office, and supported greater legal rights for women. Many reformers spoke out against slavery.

The Second Great Awakening In the early 1800’s, a change in religious ideas sparked the Second Great Awakening Many American Protestants believed in predestination. -predestination: the idea that God decided the fate of a person’s soul even before birth. Leaders of the Second Great Awakening preached that people’s own actions determined their salvation. Charles Finney held the first of many religious revivals. -revival: a huge outdoor religious meeting. People came to believe that, if they can improve themselves, they can improve society as well.

Social Reformers at Work The Temperance Movement Many reformers supported the temperance movement. -temperance movement: an organized effort to end alcohol abuse and problems created by it Women pointed out how they and their children suffered at the hands of husbands and fathers who drank too much. During the 1850’s, supporters of prohibition got nine states to pass laws banning the sale of alcohol. -prohibition: a total ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol

Prison Reform Many people who were in prison were not criminals, but were people who owed money they could not pay back. Often they had to endure poorly heated buildings, inadequate food, and cramped conditions. Over time, Dorothea Dix and others worked to convince state legislature to build new, more sanitary, and more humane prisons. Reforms for the Mentally Ill The mentally ill were often put in jail where they were caged or tied up. Dix persuaded Massachusetts legislature fund a new mental hospital. She also traveled the country urging government to create separate institute, called asylums, for the mentally ill.

Education Reform In 1642 the Puritans of Massachusetts passed a law requiring all large towns to hire teachers and build schools. -publics schools: free schools supported by taxes Need for Better Education Horace Mann took the lead in education reform In 1837, Mann convinced Massachusetts to improve its public school system. By the 1850’s, public schools gained much acceptance in the Northeast. Education for African Americans Southern states prohibited teaching enslaved persons to read. In major northern cities, free African Americans opened their own schools.