Lecture on Antebellum Reform Movements

Introduction

• Andrew Jackson's election marked an "age of democracy."
• Increased voter participation led to more involvement in societal reforms.
• Emphasis on citizens' responsibility to enact change in a democracy.

Slavery and Abolitionist Movement

• Abolitionists opposed slavery and employed various resistance methods:
  • Slaves sabotaged machinery, worked slowly, or attempted escape.
  • Notable uprisings, e.g., Nat Turner's 1831 revolt (50 white deaths, Turner captured and executed).
• Abolitionist figures:
  • Harriet Tubman: Led the Underground Railroad, aiding 100,000 slaves to escape.
  • Frederick Douglass: Escaped slave, published "The North Star" and his autobiography.
  • William Lloyd Garrison: Published "The Liberator."
• Women's involvement in abolition led to advocacy for their rights.

Women's Suffrage Movement

• 19th-century women lacked voting rights, property rights post-marriage, and educational opportunities.
• 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, key figures: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott.
  • Authored the "Declaration of Sentiments" modeled after the Declaration of Independence.
• Achieved monumental success in 1920 with the 19th amendment (voting rights for women).

Dorothea Dix and Mental Health Reform

• Exposed the mistreatment of mentally ill patients in prisons and asylums.
• Successfully advocated for funds and regulation of mental hospitals in Massachusetts and beyond.

Horace Mann and Education Reform

• Public education before Mann was limited primarily to wealthier families.
• Mann championed:
  • Tax-funded public education for all children.
  • Compulsory attendance laws and a six-month school year.
  • Teacher training schools and curriculum reform.

Conclusion

• Reflects on the spirit of democracy symbolized by Andrew Jackson.
• Reinforces the role of citizens in shaping society in a democratic era.