Pre-Civil War & Reform Movements Notes

House Divided

• Pre-Civil War: Free vs. Slave States

• Map Depiction:

  • Free States and Territories: States where slavery was illegal, and territories where slavery was prohibited by federal law or popular sovereignty.

  • Slave States: States where slavery was legal and practiced through state laws that protected slaveholders' rights.

  • Territories Open to Slavery: Territories where the legality of slavery was to be decided by the residents, leading to conflict (e.g., Bleeding Kansas).

• Key Locations Indicated:

  • Harpers Ferry: Site of John Brown's raid in 1859, an attempt to start a slave rebellion that intensified sectional tensions.

  • Charleston: City where the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in April 1861.

Second Great Awakening (1800-1830)

• Revivalism Characteristics:

  • Camp meetings and touring ministers: Large religious gatherings led by itinerant preachers that spread evangelical messages.

  • Reliance on Faith: Emphasis on personal faith and conversion experiences as central to religious life.

  • Evangelicism: The spreading of the Christian gospel through preaching and conversion.

  • Emotionalism: Heightened emotional expression during religious services and personal worship.

  • Perfectibility: Belief in the potential for individuals and society to achieve moral perfection.

• Major Leaders:

  • Charles Finney: A key revivalist preacher known for his innovative methods and emotional sermons.

  • Lyman Beecher: A prominent theologian and social reformer who advocated for temperance and other moral causes.

  • James Finley: An influential Presbyterian minister and evangelist.

• Effects:

  • Spiritual Democratization: Increased participation of ordinary people in religious activities and leadership roles.

  • Politicization of Moral issues: Engagement with social and political issues from a moral and religious perspective, influencing public policy debates.

  • Abolition of slavery: Galvanized support for the abolitionist movement, viewing slavery as a moral wrong.

  • Temperance movement: Efforts to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption due to its perceived social ills.

  • Religious and intellectual experimentation: Exploration of new religious ideas and practices, as well as intellectual pursuits influenced by religious values.

New Religious Denominations

• Shakers: Founded by Ann Lee (1736-1784)

  • Organized Communes (1820s-1900s): Established communal settlements based on shared property and pacifist beliefs.

• Mormons: Founded by Joseph Smith (1805-1844)

  • Exodus to Nauvoo (1820s-1840s), Smith Murdered: Migration to Illinois, where Smith was killed, leading to further religious tensions.

  • Exodus to Utah (1840s): Led by Brigham Young, the Mormons moved to the Salt Lake Valley to establish a theocratic society.

• Oneida Perfectionists: Founded by John Noyes (1811-1886)

  • Communitarian: Practiced communal living and shared property.

  • Ascending and Descending Fellowship: Complex system of social interactions and spiritual relationships within the community.

  • Secularized by 1881: The community shifted away from religious practices and became a joint-stock company.

Predominance of new denominations

• Baptists and Methodists benefited: Gained followers due to their emphasis on personal conversion and emotional worship services.

• Episcopals and Congregationalists decreased: Experienced a decline in membership as newer denominations gained popularity.

Causes: New Cultural Environment

• Revolution and Great Awakenings: Events that sparked new religious and philosophical ideas, and challenged existing norms.

• Romanticism: Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, Stowe

  • Philosophical Reaction to Enlightenment: Emphasized emotion, intuition, and the individual experience over reason and rationality.

  • Artistic movement emphasizing Nature vs. Idealism: Focused on depicting the beauty and power of nature, and exploring themes of individualism and imagination.

  • Literary Movement: Produced works that explored human emotions, the supernatural, and the complexities of human relationships.

• Transcendentalism: Emerson, Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Sophia Peabody

  • Inner Essence as definer of meaning: Belief that individuals could find divine knowledge and understanding through intuition and personal experience.

• Free Love: Individuals should be free to define their relationships

Abolitionism

• American Anti-Slavery Association vs. Emancipationism/American Colonization Society: Differing approaches to addressing slavery, ranging from immediate abolition to gradual emancipation and colonization.

• Key Figures:

  • William Lloyd Garrison: A radical abolitionist who advocated for the immediate and unconditional end of slavery.

  • Frederick Douglas: A former slave who became a prominent abolitionist, speaker, and writer.

  • Grimke Sisters: Abolitionist sisters who spoke out against slavery, challenging social norms and gender roles.

• Gag Rule: A series of congressional resolutions that prohibited the discussion or consideration of anti-slavery petitions in the House of Representatives.

Underground Railroad (1830-1865)

• Network for aiding escaped slaves: A secret network of safe houses and routes used by slaves to escape to freedom.

• Routes from slave states to free states and Canada: Paths that led slaves from the South to the North and to Canada, where slavery was illegal.

• Key Locations:

  • Major cities and towns along the routes (e.g., Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia): Cities and towns that served as important hubs for the Underground Railroad, providing shelter, resources, and assistance to escaping slaves.

Finding Public Space

• Temperance: Efforts to reduce or prohibit alcohol consumption.

• Industrial Work: Participation of women in the workforce, contributing to economic independence.

• Charitable Work: Involvement in social welfare and reform movements, addressing issues such as poverty and education.

• Dress Reform: Advocacy for more practical and comfortable clothing for women, challenging restrictive fashion norms.

• Seneca Falls Convention: The first women's rights convention, held in 1848, advocating for women's suffrage and equal rights.

• Mott and Stanton: Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, key organizers and leaders of the women's rights movement.

• Married Woman’s Property Laws: Legal reforms that granted married women the right to own and control their own property, independent of their husbands.