Reform Movements in the 1830s-1850s

Reform Movements in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s

Introduction

  • Sojourner Truth's speech illustrates the denial of rights to many Americans in the 19th century.
  • Focus: Reform movements in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s aimed at changing laws and society.
  • Learning Objectives:
    • Describe how the Second Great Awakening and Transcendentalism led to social reform.
    • Describe three prominent social reform movements of the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, including the temperance movement, the women's rights movement, and the abolitionist movement
    • Describe how Americans reacted to these reform movements.

Social Impact of Industrialism

  • Life during the Industrial Revolution was drastically different from before.
  • The world changed rapidly, leading to confusion and a sense of lost personal identity.

Second Great Awakening

  • Religious revival encouraging rededication to Protestant Christianity.
  • Promoted:
    • Spirituality
    • Good works
    • Self-reliance
    • Compassion
  • Women outnumbered men at revivals and were allowed to pray aloud, fostering leadership and community.

Transcendentalism

  • Artistic movement promoting exploration of personal emotions and connection to nature.
  • Celebrated the value of individual feelings and experiences.

Impact

  • These movements shaped people’s values about right and wrong.
  • These values, in turn, shaped the way that Americans viewed their society.
  • Some sought social reform or changes to society shaped by their values in a variety of ways.

Prominent Reform Movements

  • Many reform movements addressed issues like:
    • The prison system
    • Mental health care
    • Education
    • Workers’ rights
    • Child labor
  • Three movements stood out:
    • Temperance movement
    • Women’s rights movement
    • Abolitionist movement

Temperance Movement

  • Opposed the sale and consumption of alcohol.
  • The average American man drank over 7 gallons of whiskey per year in the early 19th century.
  • Overuse of alcohol:
    • Caused health problems
    • Led to poor productivity
    • Led to immoral behavior
    • Domestic violence
    • Cost a lot of money
  • The American Temperance Society (formed in 1826) had many female members who pledged not to drink alcohol.
    • They aimed to protect their families from harm and hardship caused by their husbands' and fathers' drinking habits.

Women's Rights Movement

  • Supported equality and more opportunities for women.
  • Gained momentum in the 1830s and 1840s.
  • Key Leaders:
    • Elizabeth Cady Stanton
    • Lucretia Mott
    • Lucy Stone
  • Seneca Falls Convention (New York):
    • Focused on women's right to vote.
    • Stanton's opening statements protested against government without women's consent and demanded freedom and representation.
  • Declaration of Sentiments:
    • Outlined rights and freedoms advocated by activists at the Seneca Falls Convention.
    • Modeled after the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal."
    • Included a list of grievances about the way women were treated by society.
    • Advocated for:
      • Leadership roles in churches
      • Equal access to jobs
      • Equal pay for equal work
      • The right to vote and hold political offices
    • The right to vote became a central focus later.

Abolitionist Movement

  • Supported the end of slavery.
  • William Lloyd Garrison:
    • Owned a newspaper called The Liberator, which called several people to action
    • Published widely across the North.
  • Escaped slaves like Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth wrote nonfiction books detailing their lives as slaves.
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom’s Cabin:
    • Fiction, yet depicted graphic scenes of the cruel treatment of enslaved people.
    • Published widely in the North in the early 1850s.
    • Illuminated the true horrors of slavery to northerners and some southerners.
    • Converted many to abolitionism.

Opposition to Reform Movements

Temperance

  • Tavern owners, distillers, and grain farmers feared business losses.
  • European immigrants opposed restrictions on alcohol due to cultural norms.
  • Limited legal action until the 18th Amendment in 1919 (Prohibition).

Women's Rights

  • The Seneca Falls Convention received press coverage.
  • Horace Greeley noted there was no good reason to deny women equal political rights.
  • Women gained the right to vote nationwide in 1920 with the 19th Amendment.
  • Women found more freedom in the West; for example, they were able to vote in Wyoming by 1870.

Abolition

  • The Southern economy was heavily dependent on slavery.
  • Andrew Jackson banned the distribution of abolitionist literature by the US Postal Service.
  • Political parties realigned along northern and southern lines in the 1850s.

Conclusion

  • The Second Great Awakening and Transcendentalism influenced values and led to social reform.
  • The temperance movement, women’s rights movement, and abolitionist movement grew, seeking changes to laws.
  • Temperance supporters wanted restrictions on alcohol.
  • Women’s rights advocates promoted voting and property rights.
  • Abolitionists sought to end slavery.
  • These movements, though not immediately successful, had long-term impacts and shaped modern society.
  • The discussion about slavery continued into the 1850s and 1860s, leading to the Civil War.