Chapter 14 Notes The Age of Reform 1820-1860

Social Reform Religion & Reform A. The Religious Influence 1) Attending reforms made people eager to change their own lives & others (Missionary & Social Reforms) 2) Temperance Movement – banning alcohol (manufacture & sale) B. Reforming Education 1) Wanted better funding for schools & better training for teachers 2) Eliminate restrictions: a) Allow girls & African Americans to attend 3) First “Normal School” in Mass. a) High School graduates trained to be teachers 4) Many new colleges & universities were formed during this period

Cultural Trends 1.) Changes influenced art & literature – American themes of the relationship between humans and nature, the importance of individual conscience, and the injustice of slavery. 2.) Leading transcendentalist were Margaret Fuller (women’s rights), Ralph Waldo Emerson (listen to inner voice of conscience to overcome prejudice), and Henry Thoreau (civil disobedience-refusing to obey laws that are unjust)

The Abolitionists Early Efforts to End Slavery * Abolitionists – reformers who worked to abolish (end) slavery * During Constitutional Convention – couldn’t agree on slavery issue – reached a compromise – let each state decide for themselves * By early 1800s – slavery in North ended (not all in North agreed) A. American Colonization Society 1) Goal wasn’t to end slavery - just free some slaves: a) Started by white Virginians b) Freed slaves & relocated them to Africa (Liberia) or Caribbean Islands 2) Didn’t stop slavery 3) Number of slaves continued to grow b/c of demand for cotton 4) Most blacks didn’t want to go back to Africa – wanted to be free in U.S. John Randolph - Founder

The Movement Changes * Slavery becomes most pressing issue for reformers in 1830s A. William Lloyd Garrison 1) Started the anti-slavery newspaper – The Liberator 2) Called for immediate release of slaves 3) Started New England Anti-Slavery Society – grew rapidly B. The Grimke Sisters 1) Sarah & Angelina Grimke 2) Born into wealthy slave holding family 3) First women to speak out against slavery 4) Wrote American Slavery As It Is – told first hand accounts of life under slavery William Lloyd Garrison Sarah Grimke Angelina Grimke

C. African American Abolitionists 1) African Americans also played a huge role in abolition movement 2) They were not treated equal in North but were proud of their freedom & wanted to help those enslaved D. Frederick Douglass 1) Most widely known African Am. abolitionist 2) Taught himself to read & escaped slavery in 1838 3) Editor of anti-slavery newspaper (North Star) 4) Powerful speaker – believed African Am. Should not only be free but have full equality E. Underground Railroad 1) Network of escape routes 2) Traveled at night, on foot 3) During the day rested at “stations” = barns, basements, attics, etc. 4) Harriet Tubman – most famous “conductor” – guide – of the “railroad”

Underground Railroad

Clashes Over Abolitionism * South opposed abolition - it threatened their way of life * Only a small fraction of northerners were actually abolitionists a) Feared it upset “social order” b) Feared abolitionists could begin a war between North & South c) Also feared losing their jobs to freed slaves * Many times abolitionism resulted in violence A. The South Reacts 1) Argued for slavery being essential to their economy 2) Argued that they treated slaves well a) Even better than white workers in factories 3) Other defenses – based on racism a) Believed African Am. Were better off under white care than their own

The Women’s Movement Women & Reform * Many women who worked for abolition also worked for women’s rights A. The Seneca Falls Convention 1) 1848 – organized first women’s rights convention a) Called to end discrimination laws b) Enter all male world of work c) Right to vote (most controversial) 2) Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Frederick Douglass – fought together for women’s right to vote B. Growth of the Women’s Movement 1) Susan B. Anthony – worked for rights & temperance (no drinking) 2) Anthony & Stanton worked together for the rest of the 1800s 3) Women do not gain right to vote in the U.S. until 1920

1) Many women educated themselves in science, math, & history Progress by Women A. Education 1) Many women educated themselves in science, math, & history 2) Emma Willard – starts Troy Female Seminary to help all women learn B. Marriage & Family Laws 1) Mid 1800s, six states allowed women to own property 2) Some states gave them the right to seek divorces, & to share custody of children following a divorce C. Breaking Barriers 1) Very few career choices – could become elementary educators 2) Elizabeth Blackwell becomes first female doctor 3) Made gains, but the long struggle for equality had just begun Troy Female Seminary Elizabeth Blackwell – First Female Dr. in U.S.

CH.14 VOCAB Civil Disobedience- Refusal to obey laws that are considered unjust in a violent way Abolitionist- A person who strongly favors doing away with slavery Underground Railroad- A system that helped enslaved African Americans follow a network of escape routes out of the South Suffrage- The right to vote Coeducation- Teaching of male/female students together

Vocab Quiz Civil Disobedience Abolitionist Underground Railroad Suffrage Coeducation

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