Reform in American Society: Reform in American Society Chapter 8
Section 1
Religion Sparks Reform
Second Great Awakening: Second Great Awakening During the early decades of the 19th Century, people again turned to religion
In many cases it was for the same reasons which led to the First Great Awakening in the 1700s – fear of change
Great Awakenings First Second: Great Awakenings First Second Free will
People could seek salvation and control destiny
Focus on saving soul, not hellfire and damnation.
Led to reforms in the North Fate controlled by omnipotent God
People could not save selves from damnation
Religion=fear
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
In US and Europe
Charles G. Finney: Charles G. Finney Finney preached in NY
His message differed from that of Jonathan Edwards
People could be saved and seek salvation
Conversion brought thousands back to the church
Religion in the 19th Century: Religion in the 19th Century Revivals were held throughout the country, but were most effective in the North
New converts were asked to examine their soul and become a better person
Religion in the 19th Century: Religion in the 19th Century African-American churches united slaves in a common belief of freedom
Churches in the north, like Rev. Richard Allen’s Bethel African Church, provided a cultural center
Religion in the 19th Century: Religion in the 19th Century There was a widespread belief that the world was coming to an end on October 21, 1844
William Miller had thousands of followers
When nothing happened, his followers became 7th Day Adventists
Transcendentalists: Transcendentalists In the early and mid-1800s, a group of people started looking at the world, religion and the changing economy in a different way.
Most sought a simpler life and focused on emotions and feeling
Transcendentalists: Transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson – writer
Henry David Thoreau – Walden and Civil Disobedience
Unitarians – religious group who tried to make people better through reforms
Utopian Communities: Utopian Communities New Harmony - Secular, Owenist
Wanted to provide an answer to the problems of inequity and alienation caused by the Industrial Revolution
Failed due to financial problems and disagreements among members
Utopian Communities: Utopian Communities Shakers - Religious, Mother Ann Lee, 6000 members in several states
Forbid marriage and sex
Lack of members caused its demise
Amana settlement allowed marriage and survived
Utopian Communities: Utopian Communities Oneida - Religious, Noyes
Members shared property and spouses, free love
Planned reproduction and child-rearing
Made silverware for profits
Utopian Communities: Utopian Communities Brook Farm - founded by George Ripley
Communal living where everyone worked for the common good.
Utopian Communities Before the Civil War: Utopian Communities Before the Civil War
Utopian Communities: Utopian Communities Utopian communities generally failed within a few years due to lack of funding or internal problems.
Prison Reform: Prison Reform Alexis de Tocqueville visited America to observe the prison system
He was dismayed at the amount of abuse
Prison Reform: Prison Reform Dorthea Dix was horrified to see mentally ill and handicapped people in prisons alongside violent criminals.
She led the drive to build separate facilities for mentally ill people
School Reform: School Reform Horace Mann pushed for free and compulsory education for all children.
He helped establish tax supported schools, a longer school year and teacher training
School Reform: School Reform McGuffy Readers were used to teach children to read
They combined phonics with stories encouraging hard work, punctuality and sobriety.
School Reform: School Reform Catherine Beecher sought to create teachers from spinster women
Schools also responsible for raising children
School Reform: School Reform
Secondary School Enrollment 1840-1860: Secondary School Enrollment 1840-1860
Reform in American Society: Reform in American Society Chapter 8
Section 2
Slavery and Abolition
Abolitionists: Abolitionists By the 1820s some people began to openly question the morality of slavery
Some proposed that all Blacks be sent “back” to Africa
Others wanted violent uprisings
Abolitionists: Abolitionists Charles Finney preached about the evils of slavery
Most whites in the north gave slavery no attention at all
Some, particularly the Irish, wanted slavery to continue
Abolitionists: Abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison - editor of “The Liberator”
Wanted slave holders to release their slaves immediately with no payment for their loss
He associated with Africans who promoted violence
Abolitionists: Abolitionists David Walker – wrote “Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World”
Thought that slaves that did not revolt deserved to be enslaved
Abolitionists: Abolitionists Frederick Douglass - born a slave and ran away as a child
Eloquent speaker who talked about his life as a slave
Worked with Garrison for a time but split with him to write “The North Star”
Slavery: Slavery America continued to import slaves until 1808
Natural birth rate caused the slave population to soar
By the mid 1800s, all slaves were born in America and spoke English
Slavery: Slavery Life expectancy for slaves in America was much longer than Africans who lived in Africa
Slavery: Slavery Men, women and children worked from sun up to sun down.
Slave marriages were not considered “legal under the eyes of God” so families could be sold apart.
Slavery: Slavery Immigrant labor did not come to the south so many slaves learned skills
Some hired themselves out for pay
Slavery: Slavery All slaves, regardless of age, worked
This little boy was a ‘companion’ for the daughter of his owner.
Urban and Rural Slavery: Urban and Rural Slavery Slaves in the cotton fields worked all day in the hot sun, ate substandard food, lived in wooden shacks and were beaten for minor infractions.
Slaves in larger towns worked for pay which was shared with their owner. They did not have an overseer.
Slave Uprisings: Slave Uprisings Denmark Vesey – 1822, led a short-lived and unsuccessful uprising
Slave Uprisings: Slave Uprisings Nat Turner – 1831, led an uprising leading to the death of 55 whites.
The retaliation led to the deaths of hundreds of slaves and strengthening the slave codes
Slave Codes: Slave Codes Regions and counties made laws for slaves only to make certain that slaves stay under the control of whites
After uprisings, codes became stricter, some not allowing more than 2 slaves to gather
Slave Codes: Slave Codes Most states made it illegal to teach slaves how to read and write or learn a trade.
They could not travel without papers.
Even then, there was a chance that they would be kidnapped and sold to another owner
Pro-Slavery Advocates: Pro-Slavery Advocates Southerners defended slavery by
The Bible – “Slaves should obey their masters…”
Slaves were learning about Jesus and away from the ‘savages’ in Africa
Slaves were ‘happy’ doing menial labor
Economics of Slavery: Economics of Slavery The cost of a prime field hand was about $1,500 - $2,000
It cost about $20 each year to care for a slave
The care was necessary from birth to death, 60-70 years, and during non-growing seasons
Economics of Wage Earners: Economics of Wage Earners There was no initial cost
Competition among workers kept salaries low
There were no benefits and workers only got paid when there was work to do
Sick or injured workers did not get paid at all
Reforming American Society: Reforming American Society Chapter 8
Section 3
Women and Reform
Cult of Domesticity: Cult of Domesticity Women’s roles changed in the early to mid 1800s but they were still treated like property
Some women began protesting for equality for women and slaves
Cult of Domesticity: Cult of Domesticity Women were ‘housewives’ once they got married
There jobs included cooking, cleaning, tending to the children, and household food
These are the women who were impacted by the Second Great Awakening
Cult of Domesticity: Cult of Domesticity Women in the 1830s had more free time than their mothers since they could hire immigrants to help with domestic chores
They joined the causes of abolitionism and temperance, and eventually, feminism
Sarah and Angelina Grimke: Sarah and Angelina Grimke Daughters of southern slaveholders, the Grimke sisters became avid spokesmen for the anti-slavery movement
Angelina wrote “An Appeal to Christian Women of the South” urging them to rid the country of slavery
Temperance: Temperance The beverages of choice in the 1800s were beer and whiskey
With the new machinery of the Industrial Revolution, men were getting injured and even killed
Reformers blamed alcohol on the breakup of families and poverty
Temperance: Temperance Women led the temperance movement.
Temperance societies sprung up throughout the country
They were so successful that alcohol consumption dropped by 50%
Education for Women: Education for Women Sara Grimke ran one of several schools open for women
Oberlin College opened their doors to women
Elizabeth Blackwell became America’s first female doctor
Education for Women: Education for Women Catherine Beecher took a survey on women’s health and found that 3 of every 4th woman was ill since they rarely bathed or exercised.
Seneca Falls Convention: Seneca Falls Convention In 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott held a convention for women’s rights
They declared that women were entitled to the same rights and equality as men
Seneca Falls Convention: Seneca Falls Convention Sojourner Truth, Isabella Baumfree, spoke about her life as a slave
She was booed and hissed at because the women did not want feminism to get lost while promoting abolitionism
Reforming American Society: Reforming American Society Chapter 8
Section 4
The Changing Workplace
Factory Workers: Factory Workers When labor shifted away from homes and into factories, women and children became part of the labor force
The Lowell Mills was a prototype for women in the workplace
As cheaper, immigrant labor entered the country, women were replaced by men and children
Factory Workers: Factory Workers The new type of labor put a strain on families already fighting poverty and disease
Before the Factory: Before the Factory Goods were produced in homes, cottage industries
Handmade items, mostly completed by women were sold at the market
Home Crafts: Home Crafts Trade unions were established during the Middle Ages to regulate quality, supply and prices.
Their basic purpose remained through modern American history
Home to Factory: Home to Factory Apprentice – training phase
Journeyman – skilled employee
Master – most experienced artisan
Factories became more efficient, prices for machine made goods fell, these workers moved from making hand-made goods to factory life
Lowell Mills: Lowell Mills Women worked most textile mills because of the low pay afforded by these jobs
Strikes were staged to force the factories to give the girls better pay (or to keep it from being cut)
They were not successful and conditions deteriorated.
Industrial Revolution: Industrial Revolution
Striking Workers: Striking Workers Strikes continued during the 1830s and 1840s.
Employers almost always won because immigrants gave them an unlimited supply of replacement workers
Immigrants flooded into factory areas, ignoring the slave south
Irish Immigrants: Irish Immigrants The Irish faced a famine due to a potato blight.
About 1 million immigrants came to America
They faced hostility and resentment because of their religion and love of whiskey
Irish Immigrants: Irish Immigrants
Immigrants: Immigrants
Trade Unions: Trade Unions The trades organized unions for specific skills – shoemaking, printing, comb making, etc
They formed the largest union, the National Trades Union
The union was dissolved because of opposition from bankers
Commonwealth v. Hunt: Commonwealth v. Hunt Supported a worker’s right to strike
By 1860, labor unions were still weak and small