Overview
This lecture discusses the social anxieties caused by the Market Revolution in the early 1800s and examines major reform movements, especially religious revival, utopian communities, health reform, and temperance.
Social Change and Anxiety
- Rapid geographic expansion, immigration (mainly German and Irish), and urban growth transformed Northern society between 1800–1850.
- These changes created new urban problems like poverty, crime, and prostitution.
- Societal transformation caused anxiety, leading people to seek solutions through religion and reform.
The Second Great Awakening
- The Second Great Awakening (1800–1850) was a wave of emotional religious revivals, especially strong in the North.
- Revivals featured large tent meetings and attracted many women, who became the majority of church members.
- This movement rejected predestination, emphasizing individual and collective ability to improve and perfect society.
Utopian Reform Movements
- Utopian reformers believed society was corrupted by the market revolution and sought to create perfect, separate communities.
- Utopian ideals included equality and communal living.
- The Oneida Community, led by John Noyes, practiced communal property, child-rearing, and "complex marriage" (everyone married to everyone else), aiming for gender equality and minimizing exclusive relationships.
- Oneida discouraged exclusive parent-child and marital attachments and promoted women's reproductive choice.
Health Reform
- Health reformers responded to frequent epidemics and lack of medical knowledge by advocating body purity and self-restraint.
- Sylvester Graham promoted a plain, plant-based diet, no stimulants, and sexual restraint for physical and moral health.
- These ideas emphasized self-control, appealing to the emerging middle class and linking personal discipline to success.
The Temperance Movement
- Temperance was the largest reform movement, aiming to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.
- Reformers highlighted alcohol's links to violence, poor job performance, family harm, health issues, and political corruption.
- Alcohol was viewed as a threat to the family and to democracy, given practices like supplying alcohol at elections.
- Women played key roles, urging men to take abstinence pledges and shaming drinkers through public action.
- Women's involvement was justified as an extension of their moral duty to protect families, fitting within accepted gender roles.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Second Great Awakening — A major religious revival (1800–1850) emphasizing emotional faith and personal improvement.
- Utopian Reform — Efforts to establish ideal communities outside mainstream society to achieve social perfection.
- Oneida Community — A 19th-century utopian group practicing communal living and complex marriage.
- Temperance Movement — A campaign to limit or ban alcohol consumption, focusing on social and moral reform.
- Sylvester Graham — Health reformer advocating a plain diet and self-restraint for improved health and morality.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review examples of utopian communities and their guiding principles.
- Read about key leaders of the temperance movement and their arguments.
- Consider how these reform movements reflect reactions to rapid social change.