Chapter 12: The Pursuit of Perfection 1800–1861 Notes

2. Evangelical Revivalism and Reform Movements

Focus Questions:

• How did evangelical revivalism spur reform in the early 19th century?

• What was the ideology of "separate spheres" and how did it differ from reality?

• What were some major antebellum reform movements?

Evangelical Revivalism Overview:

A wave of religious revivals occurred in the early 1800s, especially in northern states, significantly influencing American society.
Charles G. Finney led significant revivals, emphasizing personal morality and community control, with the belief that individuals could achieve personal perfection through faith and dedicated action.
Evangelicalism not only strengthened the middle-class identity but also spurred multiple social reform movements, notably abolitionism, which sought to eradicate slavery based on moral and religious grounds.

3. The Second Great Awakening

Key Characteristics:

• Marked by large camp meetings, particularly in the South and lower Midwest, where diverse groups engaged in passionate worship and solicitation of converts.

• Focused on emotional religious experiences and quick conversions, often characterized by fervent preaching that stirred attendees to feelings of guilt and the desire for immediate transformation.

• Shifted the role of church membership to include a greater emphasis on moral behavior and societal responsibility, encouraging congregants to participate in community betterment.

Impact of Revivalism:

Revival meetings were influential in filling social and religious needs, particularly in frontier areas where traditional social structures were weak.
New England revivalism had a more restrained emotional style but promoted further reform societies, particularly emphasizing education and moral reform.

Prominent Figures:

Charles G. Finney, who sought perfection and emotional appeal in religious conversion, emerged as a leading revivalist, inspiring numerous individuals to dedicate their lives to reform movements.

4. The Role of Evangelicalism in Political and Social Reforms

Reform Movements:

Sparked various movements, including:

• Sunday School Movement: Aimed at providing religious education and moral instruction to children and adults.

• Temperance Movement: Targeted alcohol abuse, led by figures like Lyman Beecher, advocating for sobriety as a moral imperative.

• Prison and School Reforms: Focused on improving conditions and the treatment of the incarcerated and ensuring educational opportunities for all children.

• Abolitionist Movement: Aimed at ending slavery, drawing from Christian moral grounds and pushing for immediate emancipation.

Continued Influence:

Evangelicals continued to influence politics through movements such as the New Christian Right in the 1980s, which sought to weave conservative values into public policy.
The ideologies evolved to address modern issues like abortion and school vouchers, reflecting ongoing intersections between faith and governance.

5. The Ideology of Separate Spheres

Cultural Context:

By the 1820s, societal roles were divided into "separate spheres": men in public life and women in domestic roles known as the home.
The ideology praised motherhood and positioned women as guardians of moral values, reinforcing expectations about women's roles as nurturers and caretakers.

Reality of Women's Lives:

Many women participated in social reforms, acting through church associations and addressing pressing issues like intemperance and education.
Working-class women often had to juggle responsibilities within and outside the home, frequently contributing to the family income through paid work.
Many worked as servants or in factories, challenging the cultured notion of domesticity by bringing attention to the economic realities that demanded their participation in the workforce.

6. Major Antebellum Reform Movements

Radical Reforms:

By the 1830s, a divide emerged between moderate reform aiming for personal moral improvement and radical movements aiming for societal perfection, advocating for immediate change rather than gradual reform.

Black Roots of Radical Abolitionism:

The anti-slavery movement drew from religious fervor and provided a platform for black voices advocating immediate abolition instead of gradual colonization.
Organizations like the American Anti-Slavery Society formed to fight for immediate abolition, significantly impacting public consciousness and mobilizing activists across racial lines.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848):

Key event that pushed forward the women’s rights movement, advocating for gender equality and highlighting women's involvement in earlier reform efforts, such as temperance and abolitionism.
Declaration of Sentiments proclaimed the need for equal rights, and the event catalyzed further activism.

7. Conclusion: The Limits of Perfectionism

Critical Perspective:

Writers like Nathaniel Hawthorne critiqued the perfectionist ideology, suggesting that idealism often failed to take into account human imperfection.
While reform movements brought about changes, they often promised more than they could deliver and instigated necessary discussions surrounding societal improvement and the complexities of human nature.