Reforms: The Antebellum Period Before the Civil War

879 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Reform movements in america in the 1900s

The antebellum period before the Civil War was one of rapid changes in American society. During this time, Americans began to feel a growing belief in human goodness and perfection, resulting in a new commitment to improve the character of people. Many reformers developed their enthusiasm for the cause from religion. The Second Great Awakening encouraged a lively evangelicalism to spread throughout the country, inspiring these modern idealists to work for a perfected social order that would be free from cruelty, war, alcoholism, discrimination, and slavery. American reform movements between 1820 and 1860 reflected pessimistic views of human nature, but also showed a hopeful outlook towards American society regarding education, woman’s rights, and penal institutions. Great efforts were made between 1820 and 1860 in order to improve the American education system. Tax-supported public education was limited until conservative Americans began to think differently about its importance. The increasing number of people voting during the Jacksonian Era led to the belief that children needed to be educated so that they might not grow up to be ignorant voters. Laborers also thought it would be beneficial to have an educated future workforce. One potent figure in this movement was Horace Mann. As secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, he advocated for more and better schoolhouses, longer school terms, higher pay for teachers, and an expanded curriculum. Noah Webster also notably aided education by publishing a dictionary and especially by improving textbooks, which promoted patriotism and morality. The Second Great Awakening ignited an increase in the development of colleges, especially in the South and West. The new colleges g... ... middle of paper ... ...ns, asylums were treating the mentally ill as beasts, chained to walls in jails with sane people. The insane were thrown into these institutions because people didn’t know what to do with them. Dorothea Dix petitioned for humane hospitals for the insane. For eight years she traveled to many prisons, almshouses, and asylums and observed the appalling conditions which she used to plead her case to the Massachusetts legislature in 1843. Her efforts led to better conditions for the insane and the establishment of five mental hospitals in America. While prisons worked towards the reform of social America, asylums had proved that there were still cynical viewpoints on penal institutions. Works Cited https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtcnNheWVyc2FwdW5pdGVkc3RhdGVzaGlzdG9yeXxneDoyNGE3ODJlZDc5M2FmMGM4 http://www.ushistory.org/us/26d.asp

Show More
Related

  • Antebellum Case Study

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    2) Was there any degree of autonomy in the lives of enslaved women in the revolutionary or antebellum America? Use the documents to address the question of whether or not an enslaved woman could protect the humanity and if so, explore how this might be achieved. Also include how the specific era (revolutionary or antebellum) affected her autonomy.

    Read More

  • Reforms Introduced in the American South between 1865 and 1877

    363 Words  | 1 Pages

    After the Civil War, it became evident that changes in the South had to be made. The old way had certainly not worked, and it was time for variation. Therefore, there was much political, economic, and social reforms introduced in the South between 1864 and 1877. After 1877, many of the changes stayed with the exception of Civil Rights.

    Read More

  • Dorothea Dix

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Known as an American philanthropist and reformer, Dorothea Dix transformed living conditions in prisons and established institutions for the mentally insane in 20 states, as well as Canada (“DIX”). Through her crusade for fair treatment of the mentally insane, Dorothea Dix exemplifies the ideals of her time – to protect the rights of all human beings, no matter their age, race, or mental capacity.

    Read More

  • Antebellum Reform DBQ

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Antebellum Era between the years of 1825 to 1850 was abundant with many reform movements that signified great change within the people of the nation. Although many of these changes were good and lasting reforms, extremists’ stark views did the contrary and inhibited change. Luckily, reform movements such as the women’s rights movement, the abolition of slavery, and temperance all led the nation in the right direction towards the expansion of democratic ideals. These ideals encompass the belief that all citizens are equal and are entitled to certain unalienable rights.

    Read More

  • Second Great Awakening And Abolitionist Movement Essay

    1606 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The connection between the revivals of the Second Great Awakening and abolition was so strong that it would hardly be an overstatement to say that the revivals were responsible for antislavery becoming a radical national movement.” During the time period, evangelical religion underlay the culture of America to such an extent that the revivals of the 1830s resulted in “tangible” structures for social reform — the revivals touched many aspects of political and social life. The revivals implicitly created political obligations and led to a demand for an activist

    Read More

  • Summarizing an Episode of The Story of American Public Education

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    --Noah webster also known as the "School Master of America", published the blue back speller to teach students about the U.S becoming America's textbook. Thomas Jefferson believed the survival of the democracy depended on the education of U.S citizens, no education for slaves, only three years for women, and only focused on finding smart white men. His ideas were considered radical. His bill for the education was defeated every time and he created the University of Virginia. His biggest belief was that public education was essential to a democracy. Horace Mann 1830-1840s, in Massuchusetts state senate, first secretary of education, and visited over 1000 schools reporting on their conditions resulting in him wanting to change public schools. He said governments have to make the changes. Through lectures and conventions he created the common schools which included everyone and was supported through taxes. He standardized al...

    Read More

  • The Effects of American Reform Movements in the 1900s

    2279 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Effects of American Reform Movements in the 1900s Living in the United States of America is all about opportunity. The opportunity to get a good job, make money, and lead a life of good quality; in other words, the opportunity to live, live, and live the Pursuit of Happiness. However, the opportunity for many people was not around throughout the 1800s. Certain groups of people did not hold the basic rights that were guaranteed by the Constitution. In fact, most of the people that had opportunity were the wealthy white men, and few other people ever had any chance to lead a good life.

    Read More

  • Reform Between 1825 And 1850

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education system into a more efficient way of teaching the county’s youth. Still other reform groups, particularly involved in the church and the second great awakening, wanted to change society as a whole. This was a time and age of change, and all these reforms were intended to contribute to the democratic way our country operated.

    Read More

  • Reconstruction in America After the Civil War

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    America has gone through many hardships and struggles since coming together as a nation involving war and changes in the political system. Many highly regarded leaders in America have come bestowing their own ideas and foundation to provide a better life for “Americans”, but no other war or political change is more infamous than the civil war and reconstruction. Reconstruction started in 1865 and ended in 1877 and still to date one of the most debated issues in American history on whether reconstruction was a failure or success as well as a contest over the memory, meaning, and ending of the war. According to, “Major Problems in American History” David W. Blight of Yale University and Steven Hahn of the University of Pennsylvania take different stances on the meaning of reconstruction, and what caused its demise. David W. Blight argues that reconstruction was a conflict between two solely significant, but incompatible objectives that “vied” for attention both reconciliation and emancipation. On the other hand Steven Hahn argues that former slaves and confederates were willing and prepared to fight for what they believed in “reflecting a long tradition of southern violence that had previously undergirded slavery” Hahn also believes that reconstruction ended when the North grew tired of the 16 year freedom conflict. Although many people are unsure, Hahn’s arguments presents a more favorable appeal from support from his argument oppose to Blight. The inevitable end of reconstruction was the North pulling federal troops from the south allowing white rule to reign again and proving time travel exist as freed Africans in the south again had their civil, political, and economical position oppressed.

    Read More

  • The Conditions of Mental Asylums During the Late 19th Century

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1840’s, the United States started to build public insane asylums instead of placing the insane in almshouses or jail. Before this, asylums were maintained mostly by religious factions whose main goal was to purify the patient (Hartford 1). By the 1870’s, the conditions of these public insane asylums were very unhealthy due to a lack of funding. The actions of Elizabeth J. Cochrane (pen name Nellie Bly), during her book “Ten Days in a Mad-House,” significantly heightened the conditions of these mental asylums during the late 1800s.

    Read More

  • The Reconstruction Era

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the Civil War the South had to be rebuilt. This was known as the Reconstruction Era. During the Recontruction Era a lot of time was devoted to the south by the nation.In fact there was a reconstruction plan made by President Abraham Lincoln.The point of his plan was to make the rebuilding of the South quicker. However the South did face some hardships, benefits, and disappointments during that time. For example, the South suffered a major decline in their econmy after the Civil War.

    Read More

  • The Age of Reform

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Age of Reform throughout 1825-1850 was a great turning point for American society. The ideas and beliefs throughout the reform movements greatly expanded the democratic ideals. Reform movements in the United States sought to express ideas through religion and education, start movements through abolition and temperance acts, expand beliefs by caring for the insane, and take a stand by speaking up for personal rights .

    Read More

  • Dorothea Dix Thesis

    332 Words  | 1 Pages

    After visiting almost every public and private prison in the United States, Dorothea Dix found that they were unsanitary and inhumane. At the time, prisons were unregulated and unhygienic, as criminals were imprisoned directly next to mentally ill people. Dix presented her reports, accounts of prisoners being flogged, chained, starved, left naked, and physically and sexually abused, to the legislature of Massachusetts. Her actions influenced a movement to improve prison conditions for both the imprisoned as well as the insane. Dix moved on to accomplish similar feats in New York and Rhode Island, as well as expanding her efforts to Europe (A&E, 2015, Dorothea Dix).

    Read More

  • Horace Mann Research Paper

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Known as the Father of the Common School, Mann believed that to have a better, more intelligent society that citizens should be educated in even the most rural and poor of communities. Having schools that were public and paid by taxes was, “central to good citizenship, democratic participation and societal well-being,” (Horace Mann). The secretary of the Massachusetts board of education, Mann stated that political stability and social harmony depended on education, which would provide a basic level of literacy and inclination of common public ideas. This shift from having only higher class people being able to go to school to having almost all children going to school had a significant impact on society and how we view it. With more information about the world and the inner-workings of things like government and politics, more people were able to understand the events going on around them and in turn be able and willing to make changes in their society. With literary levels rising, more people could go and seek information for themselves. Not having to rely on other people giving them information meant that opinions were less likely to be skewed and people could form their own ideas as they read. Though Horace Mann did not live in the 20th century, his ideas about education and public schooling greatly impacted education in the 1900’s and how people think about education

    Read More

  • John Winthrop's Antebellum: The City On The Hill

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Winthrop dreamed that America would become “The City on the Hill”, the essence of perfection that all nations would revere. As America grew, its society diversified and spread across the corners of the United States. This separation led to sectionalism and sharp divisions between common Americans, yet they were all still unified by the vision of John Winthrop’s utopia. Thus, many American’s sought to realize Winthrop’s dream by reforming society; correcting slavery, alcoholism, women’s lack of rights and a litany of other “impurities” during the Antebellum era of 1825-1855. Interest for reforms was generated by the pursuit of virtue and democratic ideals piggybacked on this surge of participation. Overall, the reform movements of the Antebellum

    Read More

More about Reforms: The Antebellum Period Before the Civil War

Open Document