Why did moral reform movements gather strength in the 1830s-1850s and what underlying force or forces gave them strength?

It is a basic rule of human nature that Homo Sapien needs permanency. In times of great social upheaval, people will often turn to the familiar arms of religion in search of that permanency. The 1830s through 1850s were no exception to the rule. The nation was hit by wave after wave of moral reform movements as the people turned to organized religion for stability in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. But why did these moral reform movements happen, why were they so concentrated in that era, and what gave them force? The Industrial Revolution caused a massive social upheaval as business markets expanded and interpersonal relationships became more numerous. In the midst of all this change, people sought stability in religion and moral reform movements grew directly out of those religious convictions.

The first half of the nineteenth century was marked by great economic, and therefore social, upheaval. After America won the War of 1812, it turned to internal improvements. The formerly local economic market was greatly expanded through the building of thousands of miles of new roads and canals. Before new methods of transportation opened up, most people had confined their business transactions to their immediate neighbors, but some saw the potential for more lucrative business in other places. “…increasing numbers of people produced for the "market," rather than for personal consumption, and made decisions about what to produce, what to charge, and where to sell on the basis of "the market" (Shmoop Editorial team). With this increasing economic shift came new social tensions. Farmers grew their, formerly local, operations and became businessmen. They had more employees and, thus more interpersonal relationships. The role of bu...

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...ocial awareness. Out of this desire for perfection on earth and concern for the preservation of traditional values, Christians started societal reform movements in the hope of making their dreams a reality.

Works Cited

Clark, Jr., Clifford E. "The Changing Nature of Protestantism in Mid-Nineteenth Century America: Henry Ward Beecher's Seven Lectures to Young Men." The Journal of American History Mar. 1971: 832-46. Organization of American Historians. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. .

Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Market Revolution Summary & Analysis." Shmoop University, Inc. Shmoop.com, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. .

Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. New York, NY: Sentinel, 2007. Print.