Reform Movements: Part B Essay

The antebellum period was full of social reform movements based on the urge to eradicate evil and improve human conditions in society. Despite the attempt to deal with a wide variety of reforms to provide positive changes to society these reform movements were met with varying degrees of success. This essay will focus on five of the major social reform movements of that era discussing their accomplishments, failures and impacts on America as a whole. They are the reforms of abolition, women’s suffrage, temperance, institutional and educational reforms. The reform movements of the 1830’s and 1840’s were largely due to humanitarian reasons because of a period of Enlightenment in the previous century which emphasized rational over

Early Efforts to End Slavery main idea- By the early 1800s, a large and growing amount of Americans demanded an immediate end to slavery.

Throughout the course of the Gilded Age, several influential figures rose impacting the economy, political factors, and culture of the United States. One of the most important figures of this time period was Frances Willard, born in New York in 1839. She held several important positions, exceeding as an educator, a women’s suffragist, and a co-founder of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. The fact that Frances Willard held these positions indicates that she contributed to the improvement of the United States, specifically by educating Women, fighting for Women’s rights, and fighting for prohibition. These key roles were complementary to the issues associated with the United States at the time. For example, a significantly low percentage of the population attended college after completing high school. Most of the people that attended college at the time were men. Women were typically held to Victorian standards by society’s expectation of them to stay home to raise children, making it uncommon for them to attend college. In terms of alcohol, Christian churches completely disagreed with and despised the consumption of liquor, leading to the establishment of temperance reform. Frances Willard was the most influential figure of the Gilded Age because of her work through the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union that contributed towards the ratification of the 18th and 19th amendment, prohibiting the consumption or production of alcohol and

In the early 1800s the Second Great Awakening was gaining momentum, birthing several movements such as the Temperance Movement, Women’s Suffrage, and the Anti-Slavery Abolitionist Movement. These movements also sparked the idea of alcohol being a threat to society as a whole, stating that it was a ‘National Curse’. Under this guise that by ridding the country as a whole of alcohol, it would decrease crime and cause an increase in other industries. The idea was

The validity of the statement, “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals” can be assessed regarding many reformations in the time period of 1825-1850 including the American temperance movement, the women’s rights movement, and the abolitionist reform. All of which very much expanded core democratic ideology, such as equality, liberty for all, and the pursuit of happiness. All these reforms share the qualities necessary to attempt to make the United States a more civilized, utopian society. Social reform was a necessity when it came to expanding democratic ideals.

Ultimately, the goal of reformation was to achieve democratic perfection; a system of communalism in which there were no inequalities nor social evils to speak of (Doc. F). The idea of utopian socialism, fostered by the British reformer Robert Owen, preached such ideals, and lead to the attempt of several utopian societies. Such reform attempts were not always met with warm welcome, however, as some argued their contempt and complete disregard for the accomplishments of the past thanks to the existing order (Doc. G).

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.

The goal of the abolitionist movement was to achieve immediate emancipation for all slaves in the United States and to end the discrimination of African Americans in the United States (Foner, Give Me Liberty 445). Of the many leaders of the abolitionist movement, some of the prominent leaders were David Walker, William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Different abolitionists used different methods to achieve their mutual goal of achieving emancipation of all slaves. During a time when slavery was thriving, their idea was regarded by many as completely absurd; but it was this absurd idea that freed the people of America.

The 2nd Great Awakening occurred within the 1800-1840’s and it helped revive the idea of religious ideas. During the 2nd Great Awakening, many were beginning to participate in public meeting. This helped with the formation of the reform movements because the reform movements were social movements that showed how many people decided to get involved for their own benefit, and took matters into their own hands for example, all the movements that began, which shows democracy because democracy is power to the people. Reform movement in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals such as equality, organizing and petitioning a cause, and religious

The Second Great Awakening and the reform movements developed America’s morality and mainly religious faith of the nation. As long as the second great awakening was a religious movement, reform movements had to occur since education, alcohol, women’s rights, and abolition were closed connected to religions at that time and today so far. In the late of 1820s, a small number of reformers that time created the Temperance Movement, which was a fight against alcohol abuse in society. Essentially, some people got to know that the production and consumption of people for alcohol must be regulated completely because it was against their religious perspectives and principles. In spite of that religion was the most important factor to make decisions during that time, some political views were necessary to be considered, also.

Progressivism originated as the optimistic vision that society was capable of improvement, and that continued growth and advancement were the nation's destiny. This, however, would require direct, purposeful human intervention in social and economic affairs. Progressive reformers wished to limit the disperse authority and wealth by empowering the government to regulate or break up trusts at both state and national levels. They also believed in the importance of social cohesion. Individuals were not autonomous; rather they are each part of a great web of social relationships. Therefore they pushed for reforms to help women, children, industrial workers, immigrants, and even African Americans to

Three very impactful leaders enter the minds of every American when discussing the abolition of slavery. Henry Highland Garnet, Wendell Phillips and the man who funded it all, Gerrit Smith. These men were undoubtably the most hardworking and well known voices of the abolition. The abolition movement began in the early 1830s and finally ended in the 1870s. The objective of the movement was to instantly put an end to slavery, discrimination and segregation against all African American people (“Abolitionist Movement).

The Social Gospel Movement also the Women groups were two major groups that were essential to the cause of reform. Protestant ministers from The Social Gospel Movement in the 1880s efforts were ending poverty and prostitution. On the other hand, the Women group consist of educated college grads. Many of

The War on Liquor was a reform movement that sought to eliminate the heavy drinking and drunkenness which was believed to have contributed to the immorality and corruption of American society. The lead organization crusading for the abstinence of alcohol was the American Temperance Movement, which sought to demonize the usage of alcohol and target the working class. Spurred on after the Panic of 1837, the temperance movement continued to gain popularity, and with the creation of the Martha Washingtonians, the cause War on Liquor became a new platform for women to voice their displeasure over the drunkenness of males. The temperance movement succeeded in lowering the rate of alcohol consumption, and eventually, they would also succeed in engineering

Social reform was underway as well with a number of institutions and social movements being devoted to improving morals of individuals and society in general. Schools started to pop up around the country. Public tax supported schools set up by Whigs in the north. The school systems were centralized at the state level and made attendance mandatory. Temperance was also part of this reform, and this was the most sustained movement in social history. The good old crusade against the use of alcohol that began in 1820. The reason for this it was argued was that alcohol led to violence, personal and social disintegration and was associated with being out of control. This effort was headed up by the middle class (women mostly) that assumed poverty, crime, and every other thing wrong with society was a result