DOING HISTORY WITH MR. JABLONSKY



CHAPTER 11 NOTESSecond Great AwakeningPreachers offered ALL a chance at becoming true Christians. Philosophy increased lay participation, made religion more democratic, and led to efforts to reform society. South: revival attendance was very high [esp. women and African Americans] – the “Bible belt.” North: former NY lawyer Charles G. Finney led the movement following his conversion in 1821. Finney emphasized power of spontaneous personal conversionsSGA caused people to believe the Second Coming (Jesus’ return) was drawing near and inspired people to try to speed the process by fighting evil through reform. All the sects also shared a belief in self-improvement and organizations to help conversion. Women were more involved than men [though they often forced their husbands and families into it as well]. For women, revival meetings and reform societies offered unique opportunities for participation in public life and politics. Great Awakening vs. Second Great AwakeningPuritans believed in just but stern God (hellfire and damnation)Preachers spoke of a gentler God of love and gracePuritans believed humanity was damned by original sin and that God selected individuals for salvation or damnation at birth (predestination)Preachers emphasized humanity’s inherent goodness and individuals potential for self-improvementPuritans believed that God controlled the destiny of each human beingPreachers offered that the individual could improve self and build a just society; Linked religion and reform as Americans became devoted to various social and moral issuesNineteenth Century Reform MovementsThroughout the nineteenth century, various reform movements arose in response to religious impulse towards self-improvement and changes in American societyAnti-Prostitution – Women demanded reform to help prostitutes and stop young men from abusing women through the Female Moral Reform Society (1834). The FMRS opened chapters throughout the nation and became politically involved. Temperance – one of the most successful reform efforts, the temperance movement worked towards reducing alcohol consumption Movement inspired by religion [alcohol=sin], by women who thought families were destroyed by alcoholism, and was favored by employers who believed their employees would be more efficient w/o it. As years passed, movement successfully shifted from moderation to abstinence to prohibition. From the 1820s on, the movement targeted immigrants and CatholicsPenitentiaries and Asylums – state institutions holding criminals began w/good intentions, but became overcrowded and inhumane. Mentally ill people were put in the prisons along with the criminals. Reformers, esp. Dorothea Dix, successfully pressed for improvements in prisons and the creation of mental asylums. Educational ReformIn Massachusetts, Horace Mann became “Father of the Common School Movement” as he advocated for longer school year, higher teacher pay, and larger school systemPublic school students learned about literature from McGuffey Readers, which emphasized stories of patriotism, hard work, and honesty The number of American newspapers more than tripled in first half of 19th century promoting literacy and well-informed public Antimasonry – the Antimasonry movement was a short, intense attack on Freemasonry…Freemasonry – a secret society originating in England that emphasized individual belief and brotherhood. Anti-Masons saw the society as anti-democratic and elitist, evangelists even saw it as satanic. Anti-Masons became political when ex-Mason William Morgan murdered after publishing exposé in 1826. Anti-Masons held the first nat. political convention in 1831 in Baltimore. Though Anti-Masonry declined by mid-1830s, the movement had significant impact b/c it inspired broader political participation [attracting lower classes vs. Mason elite] and introduced the convention and party platform. Anti-Slavery – as Anti-Masonry declined, abolitionism gathered momentum… In 1816 the American Colonization Society was founded [free slaves and ship them back to Africa, no place for them in American society]. But by 1830 immediatists [instant, compete, uncompensated emancipation] surpassed gradualists as leading voice in the movement. Initially, only blacks were immediatists, but in the 1830s whites, including William Lloyd Garrison joined the more radical side. He published The Liberator arguing for abolition. Other immediatists, who shared Garrison’s moral intensity and firm belief in the evil inherent in slavery, rallied around the American Anti-Slavery Society (1833). By contrast, gradualists felt that impulsive action would jeopardize peace and order.Made up of middle class men and women, American Anti-Slavery Society split over the issues of women’s rights and practical political solutions. Politically-minded abolitionists founded the Liberty Party in 1840 and backed Free Soil Party in 1848Opposition to abolition actually ended up helping immediatists – events such as the 1837 murder of abolitionist editor Elijah Lovejoy and the South’s blocking of mailed anti-slavery pamphlets gave the abolitionists opportunities to gather support.Abolitionists gained following through protest of “Gag Rule” [1836 act that automatically made abolitionist petitions off limits for debate, repealed in 1844]. Basically, the more opponents of abolition tried to contain dialogue, the more the movement gained resolve and became unifiedFrederick Douglass, an escaped slave, became the most famous black abolitionist. Known for the antislavery newspaper North Star and his autobiography, he persuaded many in the North to find slavery as evilWomen’s Rights – women highly involved in abolition movement, but as a result acceptance by male abolitionists and new idea of women having actual roles in society, women’s rights movement began to gain momentum. Opposed to Cult of of Domesticity: Woman is to be housewife who is submissive to her husband, nurtures and raises her children, and provides men calm shelter away from bustle of industrialized society and work. In 1830s Angelina and Sarah Grimké wrote about women’s subordination to men and also spoke out against slaveryIn July 1848 Woman’s Rights Convention met in Seneca Falls, New York, where the Declaration of Sentiments was promulgated to protest injustices against women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the primary author and called attention to greater divorce and custody rights, educational opportunities, property rights after marriage, and female suffrage. While inspiring women into the 20th century, nevertheless, the movement was still fragmented over slavery TranscendentalismTranscendentalists were a key group of writers and thinkers in the Boston area. Members included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller4 Key BeliefsDivinity of man – each person could find spiritual truthValue of human intuition – Intuition rose above limits of logic/reasonNonconformity and dissent – Fiercely individualisticImportance of nature – Nature enlightened the soul like religionUtopian CommunitiesSocial expressions of vision to perfect human life through organized livingOver 100 existed in 19th century, though peaked in 1830-18604 Common GoalsRejected competitive business of market economyTried to build egalitarian social order by an economy of shared wealthRegulated moral behavior to help members reach spiritual potentialOrganized into cooperative work/living unitsRobert Owen founded New Harmony in Indiana (1825) but failed due to financial and personal disputes Brook Farm was found in Massachusetts in 1841 by Transcendentalists, but disbanded soon after fire in 1846Oneida Community in New York was founded in 1848; based on equality and “free love,” it transitioned to selling silverware ................
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