Era of Reforms Era of Reforms Antebellum CultureAntebellum Culture

Unit IVCUnit IVC

AP United States HistoryAP United States History

The Second Great AwakeningThe Second Great AwakeningGrowth and ImpactGrowth and Impact

► Protestant revivalismProtestant revivalism► Reaction to Reaction to

Calvinist/Puritanical Calvinist/Puritanical doctrinedoctrine

► EmotionalismEmotionalism

► Inspired perfectionismInspired perfectionism► Denominational Denominational

GrowthGrowth► Baptists and MethodistsBaptists and Methodists► Increase of women in Increase of women in

churcheschurches► Afro-ChristianityAfro-Christianity

► New DenominationsNew Denominations► MillennialismMillennialism► Seventh-Day Adventist Seventh-Day Adventist

ChurchChurch► MormonismMormonism

► Inspired social reform Inspired social reform movementsmovements► TemperanceTemperance► AbolitionismAbolitionism

Second Great AwakeningSecond Great AwakeningRevivalismRevivalism

► Charles FinneyCharles Finney Free willFree will Salvation for allSalvation for all PerfectionismPerfectionism

► Revival MeetingsRevival Meetings►New York’s Burned-Over New York’s Burned-Over

DistrictDistrict

Communal SocietiesCommunal Societies► Brook FarmBrook Farm

Share equally in labor and Share equally in labor and leisureleisure

► Robert Owen’s New HarmonyRobert Owen’s New Harmony Utopian socialistUtopian socialist ““Village of Cooperation”Village of Cooperation”

► ShakersShakers Common ownership and shared Common ownership and shared

rewardsrewards Strict celibacyStrict celibacy Against vicesAgainst vices ““separate but equal”separate but equal”

► Oneida CommunityOneida Community ““perfectionists”perfectionists” Married to allMarried to all Children raised communally Children raised communally

Reform MovementsReform MovementsTemperanceTemperance

► Social Problems of Social Problems of AlcoholAlcohol

► OrganizationsOrganizations American American

Temperance Temperance SocietySociety

WashingtoniansWashingtonians

Reform MovementsReform MovementsEducationEducation

► Public EducationPublic Education MassachusettsMassachusetts

► Horace MannHorace Mann ““Education, then, beyond all other devices of Education, then, beyond all other devices of

human origin, is the great equalizer of the human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, — the balance-wheel of the conditions of men, — the balance-wheel of the social machinery. I do not here mean that it so social machinery. I do not here mean that it so elevates the moral nature as to make men elevates the moral nature as to make men disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow-disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow-men. This idea pertains to another of its men. This idea pertains to another of its attributes. But I mean that it gives each man attributes. But I mean that it gives each man the independence and the means by which he the independence and the means by which he can resist the selfishness of other men. It does can resist the selfishness of other men. It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility better than to disarm the poor of their hostility towards the rich: it prevents being poor.”towards the rich: it prevents being poor.”

““It is well to think well. It is divine to act well.”It is well to think well. It is divine to act well.” ““An educated electorate is essential to the An educated electorate is essential to the

working of a free Political system.”working of a free Political system.” Compulsory educationCompulsory education State-run teacher training programsState-run teacher training programs

Reform MovementsReform MovementsRehabilitationRehabilitation

►Dorothea DixDorothea Dix ““Man is not made better Man is not made better

by being degraded.”by being degraded.”

► Prisons and AsylumsPrisons and Asylums► Penitentiary SystemPenitentiary System

American LifestyleAmerican Lifestyle

Penny PressPenny Press►GrowthGrowth

Steam-powered Steam-powered printing press printing press machinesmachines

State-mandated public State-mandated public educationeducation

AffordableAffordable Simple vocabulary and Simple vocabulary and

dictiondiction

► ImpactImpact Increased literacy ratesIncreased literacy rates More opinionated More opinionated

American publicAmerican public

Antebellum TheaterAntebellum TheaterMinstrel ShowsMinstrel Shows

TranscendentalismTranscendentalism

► Stressed Stressed intuition/instinct, intuition/instinct, emotionalism, feelings emotionalism, feelings over reason and logicover reason and logic

► Promotion of the Promotion of the IndividualIndividual

► Finding spiritual Finding spiritual enlightenment through enlightenment through NatureNature

► Reject materialism, Reject materialism, doctrinedoctrine

TranscendentalismTranscendentalism► Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson

Self-Reliance Self-Reliance (1841)(1841)► ““Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity

of your own mind.”of your own mind.” The American Scholar The American Scholar (1837)(1837)

► Despite cultural heritage, instinctive Despite cultural heritage, instinctive creative genius of individual could lead to creative genius of individual could lead to greatnessgreatness

► Henry David Thoreau (Henry David Thoreau (WaldenWalden, , On On Civil DisobedienceCivil Disobedience)) ““I went to the woods because I wished to I went to the woods because I wished to

live deliberately, to front only the live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could essential facts of life, and see if I could not what it had to teach, and not, when I not what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not came to die, discover that I had not lived.”lived.”

Passive resistancePassive resistance► A public refusal to obey unjust lawsA public refusal to obey unjust laws

RomanticismRomanticism

► NostalgiaNostalgia► EmotionalismEmotionalism► Glorification of Glorification of

NatureNature► SublimeSublime► IndividualismIndividualism► Myth and FolkloreMyth and Folklore► SpiritualismSpiritualism

Immigrants Crossing the PrairieAlbert Bierstadt

Hudson River SchoolHudson River SchoolThomas Cole, Thomas Cole, The Voyage of LifeThe Voyage of Life

American ArchitectureAmerican Architecture

Parthenon - Athens

Pantheon - Rome

U.S. Capitol - c. 1820New York Customs House - 1842

American RomanticismAmerican RomanticismLiteratureLiterature

► The Last of the MohicansThe Last of the Mohicans by by James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper Tragedy of encroachment of Tragedy of encroachment of

European/American civilization European/American civilization on Nativeson Natives

Use of nature as a form of Use of nature as a form of developing charactersdeveloping characters

► The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel by Nathaniel HawthorneHawthorne Satire on America’s puritanical Satire on America’s puritanical

lifestyle and conformitylifestyle and conformity Sin more as an opportunity for Sin more as an opportunity for

growth rather than a hindrancegrowth rather than a hindrance Strength of the individual over Strength of the individual over

the communitythe community► Moby-DickMoby-Dick by Herman Melville by Herman Melville

No matter how much knowledge No matter how much knowledge acquired, no way to fully acquired, no way to fully understand the force of natureunderstand the force of nature

Captain Ahab views Moby-Dick as Captain Ahab views Moby-Dick as embodiment of evil and his embodiment of evil and his vengeance leads to his vengeance leads to his destructiondestruction

► Edgar Allen PoeEdgar Allen Poe Fear is the strongest emotionFear is the strongest emotion Frowned upon optimismFrowned upon optimism