Chapter 8.1 - Religion Sparks Reform

What was the Second Great Awakening?

broad religious movement that swept the U.S. after 1790

What did preachers do in the Second Great Awakening?

• rejected the belief that God predetermined whether someone went to heaven/hell

• emphasized individual responsibility for seeking salvation

What was the Mormon “Trek?"

mass migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the American Great Plains to the Salt Lake Valley

What was the Mormon “Trek" driven by?

religious persecution faced by church members in the east

Who was Ralph Waldo Emerson?

a New England writer who led a group practicing transcendentalism

What was transcendentalism?

a philosophical & literary movement that emphasized simple living

• celebrated the truth found in nature, personal emotion, & imagination

Who was Henry David Thoreau, and what did he do?

• Emerson’s friend

• Practiced self-reliance, advised readers to follow their intuition, & urged ppl not to obey laws they found unjust

What was a utopian society?

experimental groups who tried to create a perfect place & shared common goals

What did French writer Alexis de Tocqueville conclude was in U.S. prisons?

despotism (rigid & severe control)

What was Dorothea Dix horrified about?

jails often housed mentally ill ppl

What did Dorothea Dix do?

sent a report of her finding on visiting a MA house of correction to the MA legislature who passed a law to improve conditions

Dorothea Dix’s impact

persuaded 9 Southern states to set up public hospitals for the mentally ill

Prison reformers emphasized the idea of rehabilitation, which is…

treatment that could reform the sick/imprisoned person to a useful position in society

• hope for everyone

Who was Horace Mann?

a leader in the public school reform movement

What did Horace Mann become?

the 1st secretary of the MA Board of Education

What did Horace Mann do?

• established teacher-training programs

• instituted curriculum reforms

• doubled the money that the state spent on schools