Democratic Ideals Research Paper

“Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals.” Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825 – 1850.

‘Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals. Assess the validity of this statement with specific reference to the years 1825-1850.’

The United States of America experienced several reform movements from 1825 to 1850. The reformers sought to improve religion, rehabilitation of criminals and mental patients, education, slavery, and women’s rights. Each demonstrated democratic ideals to the extent that the reformers sought to incorporate the values of liberty and equality into their reform movements to improve the quality of life but did so at the expense and dismay of others.

In the last several centuries, countless reform movements have attempted to shape and expand democratic ideals in the United States. A democratic ideal is the personal qualities and behavior of a government that are necessary to its continued democracy. Such as life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, diversity, truth, religious freedom, and patriotism. All constitutionally given rights we all, as Americans, have in one way or another as a result of early reform movements.

During the time period between 1825-1840, ideals such as equality, liberty and the pursuit of happiness defined democratic ideals. The reforms during this period of time were based on the craving to make America a utopian society. In addition, the 2nd Great Awakening expanded much of the democratic ideals by increasing church membership, especially in women also it inspired social reforms such as prisons, slavery, alcohol, education, women rights, and mental ill. Furthermore, it increased religious diversity. So the Reform Movements in the period of 1825-1850 did much to expand democratic ideals on abolition of slavery, women's rights movement, and American Temperance.

Democratic ideals have proven elusive throughout history, and are oftentimes only gained through bloodshed, as shown by the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. While some opposed social reform for fear of tearing down entire social structures (G) antebellum reformers were still able to push for, if not fully gain, many democratic ideals between John Quincy Adams’ election and 1850, especially with suffrage (I), abolition (C), and with education (A and E).

The idea of democratization led to the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States that took place in the 1790s and to the 1800s. It also encouraged many influential writers such as Henry David Thoreau, who wrote “Civil Disobedience.” This popular piece inspired others to fight for what you believe in even if it is not lawful because Mann thought that our conscience is of utmost importance. In addition, democratization has also changed ideals. For example, women have been seen as child bearers and housewives for a long time. Due to the enlightenment of new ideas, women have realized their self worth and have continuously fought for the rights that have been deprived from them for so long.

The statement “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals” is proven valid in context to every reform in the time period 1825-1850 except the naturalization act, The only movement in that period contradicting democratic ideals. Besides this act, every other act displayed grand interest in civilizing the United States and emphasizing equality and liberty for all, the core democratic ideals. The nation eventually picked up and expanded all of these, but only after the effect of these reforms took their toll

While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education

In 1825 to 1855, antebellum reform movements such as asylum and prison reforms, abolition, and women's rights led to the expansion of democratic ideals such as equality, justice, and the common good by increasing the moral value of the people and teaching them to become more useful members of society. However, some reform movements such as alcohol temperance did not expand democratic ideals because it took freedom away from the people. One way that democratic ideals were limited socially was through the promotion of alcohol temperance, while asylum and prison reforms expanded democratic ideals socially. Politically, democratic ideals were also expanded through abolition by abolition groups trying to change laws on slavery and women's rights by activists fighting for the equality of women.

Only certain reform movements in the United States expanded democratic ideals between 1820 and 1850. For example, utopias were created as an attempt to create a perfect society, because the founders saw fault in the USA’s society; and Nativism opposed the development of a democratic society through immigration, which is a large part of the idea.

There were many different so called “reform movements” in the years 1825 through 1850, although, only some were actually making changes to the U.S. that benefited the people as a whole, others were just self proclaimed reforms to cover up the fact that their movement only benefited themselves and the rest of the group they were representing, these were the types of “reforms” that failed to show the value that Americans placed on having a democratic society. That being said, the validity of the statement “Reform movements in the U.S. sought to expand democratic ideals.”, would be partially correct but partially false because not all of these movements were created to expand the ideas of democracy.

Some reform movements sought to expand democratic rights in order to attain greater equality among American society. However, others believed that limiting democratic rights was essential to the preservation of American society. One reform movement that looked to limit democratic rights was the Nativist movement. Samuel Morse, who clearly was a strong nativist, expresses his anti-immigrant views, wishing to deny immigrants the right to vote (Doc3). Morse was part of the larger American Party, which pushed for anti-immigration legislation.

During the 19th Century there were many reform movements that took place. Reform movements were movements that were organized to reform or change the certain way of things. Reform movements did not always work but the ones that did greatly changed the way our nation operates today. There were three major reform movements that have altered the nation; the abolitionist movement, the temperance movement and the women 's suffrage movement. Without these movements, and the great leaders involved, many common rights would not exist today.

Democratic equality and social efficiency both view the goals of education through the belief that education is a public good. Democratic equality has three main forms within the political realm of education which include citizenship training, equal treatment and equal access. This aims to ensure that every American is prepared to be responsible citizens, involved in non-discriminatory educational practices, and afforded the same opportunity to be educated at any educational level (Labaree). Social efficiency has a main goal of modifying the curriculum in schools to represent the occupational needs of the community. On the other hand, social mobility views education as a private good with emphasis placed on the individual. This goal is outcome