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

In the mid to late 1800s, a great moral reform movement swept the nation of America. Men, Women, Slaves, people who had never been admitted to influence the religious sector of the Nation were now standing up, and making their voices heard. A patriots History says, “There were transformations of attitudes about social relationships, health, prisons, education, and the status of women and African American slaves…. [This] grew into a substantial Jacksonian reform movement.” This moral reform movement was driven by three main beliefs, or Isms. These were Communal-ism, Feminism, and Abolitionism, all leading us up directly to the Civil War Without the dissent caused by these new movements, it is quite possible that the Civil War would have not broken out until much later.

The first Ism, is Communal-ism, or systems of practically self-governing local communities. There were hundreds of these little Utopian societies infested by moral reform. A Patriots History shows “The most successful of the communes were rooted in religious fundamentalism. Like Hopedale communalist Adin Ballou, religious Utopians believed man was ruled by the “Law of God”, written on his heart, without the aid of external bonds.” Communalism required moral reform in order to succeed. Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane’s 1834 failed within a year, and likewise George Ripley’s Brook Farm and other communes either collapsed, or were forced to substantially modify their programs. Among the societies advocating Communal-ism, were many authors: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. Bronson Alcott, and many others advocated for a Communal system. Patriots History reveals that the Utopian thinkers, “search for freedom led them ulti...

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...apid social shifts combined with impending crisis over slavery to foment a quest for salvation and perfection.” The moral reform movements of the mid to late 1800s was a cultural storm, brewing up a war of dissension, and untold horrors. This movement was fueled by the three Isms, Communal-ism, Feminism, and Abolitionism. Thousands of Utopian communities dotted the landscapes, for the first time, women were standing up and declaring what their rights were, and man and women across the north and south were standing firm in an abolitionist’s view of slavery. A cultural storm was brewing; a dissent that would not be satisfied till it had blood. A Civil war was being birthed.

Works Cited

1. Schweikart,. and Larry and Allen, Michael. A Patriots History of the United States From Columbus’s Great Discovery To The War On Terror. New York; Penguin Group 2004. 1-87