THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION America: Past and Present Chapter 11

The Rise of Evangelicalism l Separation of church and state gives all churches the chance to compete for converts l Pious Protestants form voluntary associations to combat sin, “infidelity”

The Second Great Awakening: The Frontier Phase l Camp meetings contribute to frontier life – provide emotional religion – offer opportunity for social life l Camp meeting revivals convey intensely personal religious message l Camp meetings rarely lead to social reform

The Second Great Awakening in the North l In New England reformers defend Calvinism against the Enlightenment l Charles G. Finney rejects Calvinism to preach free will l Finney preaches in upstate New York l Finney stresses revival techniques l Revivals lead to organization of more churches

From Revivalism to Reform l Northern revivals stimulate reform l Middle-class participants adapt evangelical religion to preserve traditional values l "The benevolent empire" of evangelical reform movements alter American life – e.g. temperance movement cuts alcohol consumption by more than fifty percent

Domesticity and Changes in the American Family l New conception of family’s role in society l Child rearing seen as essential preparation for self-disciplined Christian life l Women confined to domestic sphere l Women assume crucial role within home

Marriage for Love l Mutual love must characterize marriage l Wives became more of a companion to their husbands and less of a servant l Legally, the husband was the unchallenged head of the household

The Cult of Domesticity l "The Cult of True Womanhood" – places women in the home – glorifies home as center of all efforts to civilize and Christianize society l Middle- and upper-class women increasingly dedicated to the home as mothers l Women of leisure enter reform movements

The Discovery of Childhood l Nineteenth-century child the center of family l Each child seen as unique, irreplaceable l Ideal to form child’s character with affection l Parental discipline to instill guilt, not fear l Train child to learn self-discipline

Institutional Reform l Domesticity to inform public institutions l Schools continue what family begins l Asylums, prisons mend family’s failures

The Extension of Education l Public schools expand rapidly l Working class sees as means to advance l Middle-class reformers see as means for inculcating values of hard work, responsibility l Horace Mann argues schools save immigrants, poor children from parents’ bad influence l Many parents believe public schools alienate children from their parents

Discovering the Asylum l Poor, criminal, insane seen as lacking self-discipline l Harsh measures to promote rehabilitation – solitary confinement of prisoners – strict daily schedule l Public support for rehabilitation skimpy l Prisons, asylums, poorhouses become warehouses for the unwanted

Reform Turns Radical l Most reform aims to improve society l Some radical reformers seek destruction of old society, creation of perfect social order

Divisions in the Benevolent Empire l Radical perfectionists impatient by 1830s, split from moderate reform – temperance movement – peace movement – antislavery movement l Moderates seek gradual end to slavery l Radicals demand immediate emancipation l American Anti-Slavery Society

The Abolitionist Enterprise: Theodore Dwight Weld l Weld an itinerant minister converted by Finney l Adapted his revivalist techniques to abolition l Successful mass meetings in Ohio, New York

The Abolitionist Enterprise: Public Reception l Appeal to hard-working small town folk l Opposition in cities & near Mason-Dixon line l Opposition from the working class – dislike blacks – fear black economic and social competition l Solid citizens see abolitionists as anarchists

The Abolitionist Enterprise: Obstacles l Abolitionists hampered by in-fighting l William Lloyd Garrison disrupts movement by associating with radical reform efforts –urged abolitionists to abstain from participating in the political process –also got involved in women’s rights movement l Some abolitionists help form the Liberty Party in 1840

Black Abolitionists l Former slaves related the horrible realities of bondage –prominent figures included Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth l Black newspapers, books, and pamphlets publicized abolitionism to a wider audience l Blacks were also active in the Underground Railroad

From Abolitionism to Women's Rights l Abolitionism open to women’s participation l Involvement raises awareness of women’s inequality l Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 – Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organize – prompted by experience of inequality in abolition movement – begins movement for women’s rights

Radical Ideas & Experiments: Utopian Communities l Utopian socialism –Inspired by Robert Owen, Charles Fourier –New Harmony, Indiana—Owenite –Fourierite phalanxes l Religious utopianism –Shakers –Oneida Community

Utopian Communities Before the Civil War

Radical Ideas & Experiments: Transcendentalism l Ralph Waldo Emerson l Margaret Fuller l George Ripley –founded cooperative community at Brook Farm l Henry David Thoreau

Counterpoint on Reform l Reform encounters perceptive critics –Nathaniel Hawthorne allegorically refuted perfectionist movements l Reform prompts necessary changes in American life