Reform Goal 2

Utopian Communities During the early 1800s, some Americans wanted to distance themselves from the evils of society. Organizers of utopias hoped their settlements would foster virtue in the members and inspire others. Brook Farm (Boston) and New Harmony (Indiana) were two utopian communities.

Utopian societies attracted more than 1000 people. Brook Farm failed after only six years. New Harmony lasted only two years. Most of the 50 other utopian communities were short-lived, as well.

Shakers Mother Ann Lee was the leader. She had lost three children in childbirth and determined that God was punishing her for not remaining celibate. Shakers set up independent communities in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, and Illinois. Men and women lived in separate housing and did not marry or reproduce. The community grew only when new adults joined. Famous for their high-quality craftsmanship, especially in furniture.

Mother Ann Lee

Education Horace Mann was a leading education reformer. Created a state board of education in Massachusetts. Advocated free public education Fought for compulsory attendance laws Led the fight to abolish corporal punishment Worked to establish training for teachers

State legislatures across the country set aside funds for public schools. Percentage of children attending school doubled Women played key roles in school reform. Catharine Beecher and Emma Willard established schools for women in Connecticut, Ohio and New York. Elizabeth Blackwell and Ann Preston established medical training for women by the 1850s.

Horace Mann

Noah Webster created The American Spelling Book. This remained the most popular school book for a while. Webster developed special spelling forms that he felt were representative of America’s honesty and directness (nationalistic).

Noah Webster

Penitentiaries and Asylums Dorothea Dix campaigned for reform in prisons and for the mentally ill. She discovered that patients suffering from mental illness were placed alongside hardened criminals in prisons. She spent two years visiting prisons, poorhouses, and hospitals. She campaigned for change based on her findings.

Her work led to the creation of the first modern mental hospitals. Prison reform was aimed ad helping to rehabilitate criminals. Prior to this reform, the idea behind prison was only to punish criminals for their crimes.

Dorothea Dix

Temperance Crime, sickness, poverty, and family violence all were tied to alcohol abuse. Reformers advocated drinking alcohol only in moderation. They argued that drinking alcohol led to violence and crime.

Women’s Rights Movement The Women’s Rights Movement of the 1830s was led by two female abolitions, Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Lucretia Mott They were inspired by the abolition movement to make changes for women

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Lucretia Mott

Women’s Rights Reformers wanted more educational opportunities and healthcare In 1848, a women’s rights convention was held called the Seneca Falls Convention. There, the women issued a Declaration of Sentiments outlining the rights to which women were entitled.

Sojourner Truth An abolitionist who spoke out for women’s rights

Labor Reform Workers began to demand higher wages & shorter workdays Trade unions were established, groups of workers within the same trade that organized strikes

Abolition Movement The movement to end slavery Called for the immediate emancipation of slaves, without compensation to the slave owner

William Lloyd Garrison A white abolitionist and editor of the abolition newspaper, The Liberator.

Frederick Douglass Born into slavery, but was taught by his master’s wife to read and write Escaped slavery Became a famous abolition speaker Started a newspaper called The North Star