Westward Expansion and Religion and Reform

Flashcards related to the lecture covering the Second Great Awakening and reform movements in 19th century America.

Second Great Awakening

A Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States that emphasized individual piety and social reform.

Reform Movements

Social movements aimed at creating systematic change in specific areas, including morality, politics, and education, particularly prominent in the 1840s.

Charles Grandison Finney

A key figure in the Second Great Awakening known for his emotional preaching and advocacy for women's rights and abolition.

Transcendentalism

An intellectual movement in the early 19th century that emphasized individuality, self-reliance, and the inherent goodness of people and nature.

The Shakers

A religious group founded in the 18th century known for communal living, celibacy, and ecstatic religious rituals.

Complex Marriage

The practice promoted by John Humphrey Noyes where all members of a community are considered to be married to one another, rejecting traditional marriage.

Burnover District

A region in Western New York where the Second Great Awakening gained significant momentum and produced numerous religious movements.

Utopian Communities

Experimental communities that arose during the 19th century, aiming to create ideal societies based on spiritual or communal principles.

Methodism

A denomination of Protestant Christianity that became prominent in the early 19th century, characterized by a focus on personal faith and social reform.

Circuit Riders

Traveling preachers who spread the Christian message to remote areas during the Second Great Awakening.