19th Century American Women

Through the years of 1790-1865 was a period of time called the Second Great Awakening. With the escalation of “Godless” revolutionary France and the rising anxiety of war and inequality, worries and fears began to develop in New England Pastors. This anxiety prompts a religious movement of varying Christian denominations starting revivals in early America. Revivals taught the Arminian Theory that if one displays honest repentance to God and conversion to Christianity he will find personal salvation. Revivals consisted of mass gatherings of men and women that were led by Evangelists giving emotional sermons and speeches to encourage members of the church body to gain new converts. The Second Great Awakening commenced a concept that early America needs to become a country of higher values and standards for the welfare of the country. 19th-century men were compulsive alcoholics which provoked many burdens in the domestic household. Throughout this stretch of time, women held a role in the community as homemakers whilst possessing a more beneficial potential that they were unable to use. Furthermore, the beginning of the 1830’s maintained the idea that slavery and the absence of African Americans rights is a conventional wisdom. The Second Great Awakening exhibited social reformations that affected morals and principles held by early Americans through the expedition of women's rights, abolition of slavery, and religious refinement of the domestic family.

After 1815, a women’s status in society was shaped both by the “market revolution” and the “Second Great Awakening”. The “market revolution” was a drastic change in the nation's economy through transportation, education, legal reforms. Examples of these reforms would include the creation of canals, roads, railroads, and the technology needed to commute between places, an increase in teacher wages, school terms, and curriculum, and the spreading awareness of massive movements such as the temperance, abolitionist, and prison reform movement. The “Second Great Awakening” was a revival of religious spirit that attracted social minorities, such as women, African-Americans,and native Americans, that produced many new sects of Protestantism, such

In nineteenth century America, women were not given the same rights and freedoms as their spouses/ men. Women were expected to be submissive to their husbands though they did have some authority within the private sphere. The private sphere is comprised of the home and family. During this time, women were responsible for being a mother and wife; however, with the Second Great Awakening, women were being to have more freedoms and responsibilities. New roles allowed for mothers to teach their children religion in their homes and women took up an interest in attending religious revival meetings (Hewitt, Lawson 357). A fair number of women were enticed with the religious revival movement because it allowed women to leave their private sphere and participate in the public sphere. Women were given an opportunity to conjugate with each other and practice their beliefs that allowed them to slowly partake in the reform (Hewitt, Lawson 352). The religious revival meetings attracted thousands to attend, most of who were women, and “pray” in a group (Frances Trollope – Description of a Revival Meeting, 1832). In Document 11.7, Frances Trollope, English author,

women had to stay at home to make household goods to use in the 1700s-1800s

After 1815, the female was viewed in a more respectful persona in society. Women’s rights were beginning to grow. They were helping more in religious growth, and helping in the abolition of slavery. “On every principle of natural justice, as well as by the nature of our institutions, she is as fully entitled as man to vote and to be eligible to office.” (Document F). Many females were involved in the growth of religion, including the Second Great Awakening. With the females being the ones who take the children to church, they were prone to having a deeper belief for their religion. And with that, they would try to inspire religious growth. The Second Great Awakening spurred reform, prison, church, temperance, abolition, women’s rights, and Christianizing Indians. With women fighting for what they believe in, the women were finding themselves to have a new found respect; from both themselves and men. Document E illustrates this by females walking down a street with a sense of confidence.

Women in post-Civil War times were also dealing with the unreasonable limitations of American “democracy”. Women were not even allowed to vote let alone hold many rights in a social standpoint. Women enacted many suffrage movements fighting for their right to vote and have their voices heard. Temperance movements aimed to completely thwart, or at least moderate, drinking alcohol. Though these movements both suffered daunting opposition, women quickly became the face of social reform. Even though they still did not have many basic rights, they made advances in education, teaching.

The second great awakening was a religious movement. It began around the 1790’s. It grew popular through Methodists and Baptists. It was led by the Preachers. Arising in the 1800s, it was one of the most significant occurrences in the history of American religion. Countless people were converted and many churches were changed and revived. Not only affecting religion, the movement influenced many other aspects such as prison reform, the women's rights movement, abolishment of slavery, advancements in literature, and reform in education. Women's roles in the church were greatly affected and they deeply encouraged the religious revival, setting up many organizations and charities.

Before the generation, American women as improved their educational standing , to secure additional legal rights, and acquired greater access the manufactured by the 1800’s. Women had participated outstanding in the religious revivals known the second Great Awakening and the swept across the floor. The result of the religion , american women mostly north became involved in numerous reforms efforts, including temperance, the abolition of slavery, the colonization of former slaves, and important of poisons. But majority of american women still led daily lives that to focused on their family, household, gardens and crops. The night before the war , most women in the U.S. lived in rural areas and regularly performed exhausting, physical work and around the homes.

At this time, white protestant men believed they were superior over any other race or sex. The act of the Great Awakening put many rich white men into power, simply because they gave such powerful and passionate sermons. The American’s overlooked this superiority that these men were gaining, simply because they were so emotionally involved in their religion. Women were not allowed to take any sort of leadership role, or preach their beliefs as these white men were. African Americans were also highly discriminated against, along with Catholics.

In the Northern states, and during the Second Great Awakening, many Americans became involved in evangelical work and had become eager to share the Protestant faith. Although, the Second Great Awakening “reasserted the egalitarian ideals which drew more women than men”, and it also favored women and their reform activities (DuBois & Dumenil, 2012, p.151). Therefore, the revivalism that expanded during the antebellum period is what introduced a number of social reform movements to improve America overall. With the new conversions and the growing interest in religion, women were influenced to help improve all aspect of life including the political, economical, and social problems; therefore they started by “supporting their husband in missionary

In the early 1800s, women were second-class citizens. Women were expected to restrict their area of interest to the home and the family. Women were not encouraged to have a real education or pursue a professional career. Also, women were considered unequal to their husbands and all males legally and socially. The day-to day lives of men and women were quite clearly divided during the late 1800s. Woman in the late 1800s were treated inhumane because of society, class, and their rights.

The history in the 1800s was really rough then now days because they had the Nez Perce war going on and at the same time, we had problems with woman not being able to vote, and the Immigrants were all looking for jobs. As I said earlier about women not being able to vote was a big step back for woman, not so much for men as they didn’t want women to vote. As the author said in the 1840s, emerging from the broader movement for women's rights”(w.i.t.p.n.). Woman were treated imperfect towards men all because they were a different gender, which is unacceptable back in the 1840s and would be now if it happened because we should all be treated the the same and have the same rights. As it says in the text “In order to earn revenue from their land

Throughout history, women have been kept in the shadows, with only a few ideals to uphold. Women were to be the wives of men, be the mothers of their children, and to teach those children their roles. As well as those few ideals, women have only been seen as those who preserve the household; cleaning and maintaining, cooking for the family as they return home. Being imprisoned within a household because of their sex. Choice was limited, women didn’t have much say as to how their lives played out and some wanted change, some wanted a voice. Books started being written; spread of word, parties and groups began to form suggesting rights and laws, women began to take

Women were always faced specifically in history by men until they became equal to them. In the story “The yellow wallpaper” the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman says some things about the way women were treated by men back then in the 19th century. Women’s roles and place in the 19th century American society are very humiliating, rational for this society and weird. Women back then were treated as “something” not as “someone” that is to say useless beings, that do not have brains.

In the nineteenth century, women’s role in society are subjected to a set of rules so called the “accomplished” woman. During this period, woman wanted to be an “accomplished” woman because accomplished woman has a higher chance to find a husband. In addition, the middle and upper class women are restricted from performing music in the public because doing so will condemn the family’s reputation. In the nineteenth century, the idea of “accomplished” woman and social norms limited women’s role in musical world ranging from instrument choices to the setting of performance.