Antebellum Reform Movements

Second Great Awakening

Era of reform inspired by spiritual revival.
Formation of voluntary organizations to address societal issues (e.g., alcohol, education).

State of Education: Predominantly one-room schoolhouses with underpaid, under-trained teachers.
Horace Mann: Key reformer advocating for "common schools" with standardized, tuition-free, tax-supported education.
- Emphasized trained teachers and statewide standards.
- By 1840, achieved 91% literacy rate.
Webster's Dictionary: Standardized American English spelling and pronunciation.
Higher Education for Women: Overcoming negative beliefs and restrictions.
- Oberlin College became a pioneer by accepting female students.

Dorothea Dix: Advocated for separate asylums for the mentally ill and reform of prisons.
- Criticized conditions where mentally ill, indebted, and criminals were housed together.
- Influenced creation of asylums in 15 states and pushed for prison rehabilitation.

Goal: Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.
- 1826: Formation of the American Temperance Society.
- "Cold Water Armies" and "Teetotallers," indicating pledges to abstain from alcohol.
- Lyman Beecher: Leader who influenced Maine Law of 1851, prohibiting alcohol.

Driven by the desire to create perfect societies.
Brook Farm: Transcendentalist utopia focused on nature and writing.
- Ultimately failed due to economic sustainability issues.
Oneida: Practiced free love and succeeded economically through manufacturing.
Shakers: Practiced celibacy and gender equality.
New Harmony: Focused on science and education.
- Introduced kindergarten and public libraries.

1848: Beginning of the movement with the Seneca Falls Convention led by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
- Drafted the Declaration of Sentiments calling for suffrage, property rights, and child custody.

Philosophy highlighting truth through nature and spiritual introspection.
Henry David Thoreau: Important figure with works like "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience," influencing leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

Largest reform movement driven by moral and religious beliefs.
Moderate Abolitionists: Supported gradual emancipation and compensation.
- Example: American Colonization Society aimed to send freed slaves to Liberia.
Radical Abolitionists: Demanded immediate end to slavery without compensation.
- William Lloyd Garrison: Established "The Liberator," advocating for immediate end using moral persuasion.
- Frederick Douglass: Former slave who became a leading voice through speeches and his publication "The North Star."
Underground Railroad: Network aiding slaves' escape, prominently featuring Harriet Tubman.
- Legal challenges like Prigg v. Pennsylvania and personal liberty laws.

Suppression of abolitionist literature and debate.
- 1836 Gag Rule: Prohibited discussion of abolition in the House of Representatives.