Pre-Civil War ReformPre-Civil War Reform

Attempt to improve society Attempt to improve society through reformthrough reform

First secular efforts in First secular efforts in history to improve history to improve

society through society through reformreform

United States in the United States in the forefront of this forefront of this

reformreform

Reform inspired by Reform inspired by ideals but reaction to ideals but reaction to

fear of a disintegrating fear of a disintegrating societysociety

FEARFEAR

Social DisorderSocial Disorder ViolenceViolence Family FragmentationFamily Fragmentation Widening Class DivisionsWidening Class Divisions

Rapid and Unsettling Social Rapid and Unsettling Social ChangesChanges

Emergence of a Market EconomyEmergence of a Market Economy Beginnings of Rapid Urbanization and Beginnings of Rapid Urbanization and

IndustrializationIndustrialization Decline of DeferenceDecline of Deference Spread of Democratic PoliticsSpread of Democratic Politics Increasingly Unequal Distribution of Increasingly Unequal Distribution of

WealthWealth Radical Shift in Women’s Roles and Radical Shift in Women’s Roles and

StatusStatus

AnxietyAnxiety

Will democracy degenerate into Will democracy degenerate into anarchy?anarchy?

Will self-seeking individualism erode Will self-seeking individualism erode traditional morality?traditional morality?

Will commercialism undermine Will commercialism undermine national ideals?national ideals?

Many believed…Many believed…The only way to stabilize the The only way to stabilize the

social order was to internalize social order was to internalize self-restraints within the self-restraints within the

depths of individual character depths of individual character through religion and moral through religion and moral

reform.reform.

Roots of Reform?Roots of Reform?

Rose out of a Rose out of a millennialist sense of millennialist sense of possibilities that was possibilities that was

both secular AND both secular AND religious!religious!

Early 19Early 19thth Century Century

Americans convinced society disintegratingAmericans convinced society disintegrating– City SlumsCity Slums– Duels Duels – LynchingsLynchings– Street ChildrenStreet Children– AlcoholismAlcoholism– IllegitimacyIllegitimacy– Young women left home (women not under Young women left home (women not under

control of father or husband) control of father or husband)

Stump Speaking (1850) George Caleb Bingham

Stump Speaking (1850) George Caleb Bingham

In America, where the privileges of birth never existed and where riches confer no peculiar rights on their possessors,

men unacquainted with one another are very ready to frequent the same places and find neither peril nor advantage in the free interchange of their thoughts.

~Alexis DeTocqueville, Democracy in America

Early 19Early 19thth Century Century

Religious Revival (2Religious Revival (2ndnd Great Great Awakening)Awakening)– Time of Constitution- 1 in 20 attended Time of Constitution- 1 in 20 attended

churchchurch– 1860- 1 in 3 attended church1860- 1 in 3 attended church– Millenialism- a belief that the world is Millenialism- a belief that the world is

about to end about to end – Churches forced to compete for members Churches forced to compete for members

so they adopted new theologies and so they adopted new theologies and teaching stylesteaching styles

Methodist Camp Meeting, 1839

"The noise was like the roar of "The noise was like the roar of Niagara,… At one time I saw at Niagara,… At one time I saw at least five hundred swept down least five hundred swept down in a moment as if a battery of in a moment as if a battery of a thousand guns had been a thousand guns had been opened upon them, and then opened upon them, and then immediately followed shrieks immediately followed shrieks and shouts that rent the very and shouts that rent the very heavens." heavens."

~eyewitness James Finley ~eyewitness James Finley

Tent Revival Meeting in Eastham, Mass

Reform Came in Three Reform Came in Three StagesStages

Moral ReformMoral Reform: Create a God like : Create a God like society.society.

Social ReformSocial Reform: Create institutions to : Create institutions to combat poverty, crime, illiteracy and combat poverty, crime, illiteracy and disease.disease.

RadicalRadical: Combats underlying : Combats underlying inequalities, slavery, racism and inequalities, slavery, racism and sexism.sexism.

Moral ReformMoral Reform

TemperanceTemperance– Dram brakes/ night Dram brakes/ night

capscaps– The term The term boozebooze came came

from this erafrom this era– Typical adult drank 7 Typical adult drank 7

gallons/yeargallons/year– Linked to crime, Linked to crime,

poverty, unproductive poverty, unproductive workersworkers

– Stress of market Stress of market society lead many to society lead many to drinkdrink

Death on the Striped Pig (1839)

Moral ReformMoral Reform

ProstitutionProstitution– 5% - 10% of 5% - 10% of

teenage girls in teenage girls in New York were New York were prostitutesprostitutes

– Age of consent in Age of consent in states ranged from states ranged from 7 – 137 – 13

19th Century Prostitution

The Effects of Drunkeness (1841)

http://www.teachushistory.org/Temperance/vl-death.htm

William Sidney Mount Bar-room Scene, 1835

Social ReformSocial Reform

CrimeCrime– Exploded in early Exploded in early

1919thth century century– Colonial View: Colonial View:

Reintegrate Reintegrate criminals into criminals into society; society; punishments were punishments were swift and harshswift and harsh

Social ReformSocial Reform

EducationEducation– Horace Mann: Horace Mann:

convinced MA of convinced MA of Public EducationPublic Education

– Create system to Create system to train teacherstrain teachers

– Germany, Germany, Netherlands and Netherlands and Denmark Denmark developing schools developing schools at the same time.at the same time.

Social ReformSocial Reform

Education (cont.’)Education (cont.’)– Create schools Create schools

without raising without raising taxes taxes

– Solution: Hire Solution: Hire women, pay them women, pay them lower wages than lower wages than menmen

Radical ReformRadical Reform AbolitionAbolition

– Early 19Early 19thth Century Century Slavery on the way Slavery on the way outout

– 1808 US and GB 1808 US and GB outlawed African outlawed African Slave TradeSlave Trade

– Problem: How to Problem: How to convince slaveholders convince slaveholders to emancipate slaves?to emancipate slaves?

– 1830s and 1840s US 1830s and 1840s US in deadlock over in deadlock over slaveryslavery

A Piece of Sheet Music from 1829

Radical ReformRadical Reform

Violent counter-Violent counter-reaction to reaction to abolitionistsabolitionists

Garrisonians vs. Garrisonians vs. PoliticsPolitics

RadicalsRadicals Liberty Party Liberty Party

Slavery EvilSlavery Evil Free Soil Free Soil PartyParty

at heart of US Republican at heart of US Republican

PartyParty

Radical ReformRadical Reform

Women’s RightsWomen’s Rights– 1848 London 1848 London

Abolition Abolition Conference: Female Conference: Female delegation forced to delegation forced to sit in balcony sit in balcony behind a curtainbehind a curtain

– Anti-slavery Anti-slavery Movement splits Movement splits over inequalities for over inequalities for womenwomen

Radical ReformRadical Reform

Average American WomanAverage American Woman– 1800 1800 7 – 10 children7 – 10 children– 1800 -18501800 -1850 fewer than 5 childrenfewer than 5 children– 190019003 children3 children

Women were desperate to reduce Women were desperate to reduce rate of birthsrate of births

High Rates of Abortions 1 in 6 High Rates of Abortions 1 in 6 estimateestimate

Radical ReformRadical Reform

Things getting better for womenThings getting better for women– Rise in women’s literacyRise in women’s literacy– Increase in female schools/academiesIncrease in female schools/academies– Increased employment opportunitiesIncreased employment opportunities

Things getting worse for womenThings getting worse for women– No political powerNo political power– Women’s work devaluedWomen’s work devalued– Lacked divorce and property rightsLacked divorce and property rights