Era of Reforms Era of Reforms Antebellum CultureAntebellum Culture
Unit IVCUnit IVC
AP United States HistoryAP United States History
The Second Great AwakeningThe Second Great AwakeningGrowth and ImpactGrowth and Impact
► Protestant revivalismProtestant revivalism► Reaction to Reaction to
Calvinist/Puritanical Calvinist/Puritanical doctrinedoctrine
► EmotionalismEmotionalism
► Inspired perfectionismInspired perfectionism► Denominational Denominational
GrowthGrowth► Baptists and MethodistsBaptists and Methodists► Increase of women in Increase of women in
churcheschurches► Afro-ChristianityAfro-Christianity
► New DenominationsNew Denominations► MillennialismMillennialism► Seventh-Day Adventist Seventh-Day Adventist
ChurchChurch► MormonismMormonism
► Inspired social reform Inspired social reform movementsmovements► TemperanceTemperance► AbolitionismAbolitionism
Second Great AwakeningSecond Great AwakeningRevivalismRevivalism
► Charles FinneyCharles Finney Free willFree will Salvation for allSalvation for all PerfectionismPerfectionism
► Revival MeetingsRevival Meetings►New York’s Burned-Over New York’s Burned-Over
DistrictDistrict
Communal SocietiesCommunal Societies► Brook FarmBrook Farm
Share equally in labor and Share equally in labor and leisureleisure
► Robert Owen’s New HarmonyRobert Owen’s New Harmony Utopian socialistUtopian socialist ““Village of Cooperation”Village of Cooperation”
► ShakersShakers Common ownership and shared Common ownership and shared
rewardsrewards Strict celibacyStrict celibacy Against vicesAgainst vices ““separate but equal”separate but equal”
► Oneida CommunityOneida Community ““perfectionists”perfectionists” Married to allMarried to all Children raised communally Children raised communally
Reform MovementsReform MovementsTemperanceTemperance
► Social Problems of Social Problems of AlcoholAlcohol
► OrganizationsOrganizations American American
Temperance Temperance SocietySociety
WashingtoniansWashingtonians
Reform MovementsReform MovementsEducationEducation
► Public EducationPublic Education MassachusettsMassachusetts
► Horace MannHorace Mann ““Education, then, beyond all other devices of Education, then, beyond all other devices of
human origin, is the great equalizer of the human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, — the balance-wheel of the conditions of men, — the balance-wheel of the social machinery. I do not here mean that it so social machinery. I do not here mean that it so elevates the moral nature as to make men elevates the moral nature as to make men disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow-disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow-men. This idea pertains to another of its men. This idea pertains to another of its attributes. But I mean that it gives each man attributes. But I mean that it gives each man the independence and the means by which he the independence and the means by which he can resist the selfishness of other men. It does can resist the selfishness of other men. It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility better than to disarm the poor of their hostility towards the rich: it prevents being poor.”towards the rich: it prevents being poor.”
““It is well to think well. It is divine to act well.”It is well to think well. It is divine to act well.” ““An educated electorate is essential to the An educated electorate is essential to the
working of a free Political system.”working of a free Political system.” Compulsory educationCompulsory education State-run teacher training programsState-run teacher training programs
Reform MovementsReform MovementsRehabilitationRehabilitation
►Dorothea DixDorothea Dix ““Man is not made better Man is not made better
by being degraded.”by being degraded.”
► Prisons and AsylumsPrisons and Asylums► Penitentiary SystemPenitentiary System
American LifestyleAmerican Lifestyle
Penny PressPenny Press►GrowthGrowth
Steam-powered Steam-powered printing press printing press machinesmachines
State-mandated public State-mandated public educationeducation
AffordableAffordable Simple vocabulary and Simple vocabulary and
dictiondiction
► ImpactImpact Increased literacy ratesIncreased literacy rates More opinionated More opinionated
American publicAmerican public
Antebellum TheaterAntebellum TheaterMinstrel ShowsMinstrel Shows
TranscendentalismTranscendentalism
► Stressed Stressed intuition/instinct, intuition/instinct, emotionalism, feelings emotionalism, feelings over reason and logicover reason and logic
► Promotion of the Promotion of the IndividualIndividual
► Finding spiritual Finding spiritual enlightenment through enlightenment through NatureNature
► Reject materialism, Reject materialism, doctrinedoctrine
TranscendentalismTranscendentalism► Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson
Self-Reliance Self-Reliance (1841)(1841)► ““Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity Nothing is at last sacred, but the integrity
of your own mind.”of your own mind.” The American Scholar The American Scholar (1837)(1837)
► Despite cultural heritage, instinctive Despite cultural heritage, instinctive creative genius of individual could lead to creative genius of individual could lead to greatnessgreatness
► Henry David Thoreau (Henry David Thoreau (WaldenWalden, , On On Civil DisobedienceCivil Disobedience)) ““I went to the woods because I wished to I went to the woods because I wished to
live deliberately, to front only the live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could essential facts of life, and see if I could not what it had to teach, and not, when I not what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not came to die, discover that I had not lived.”lived.”
Passive resistancePassive resistance► A public refusal to obey unjust lawsA public refusal to obey unjust laws
RomanticismRomanticism
► NostalgiaNostalgia► EmotionalismEmotionalism► Glorification of Glorification of
NatureNature► SublimeSublime► IndividualismIndividualism► Myth and FolkloreMyth and Folklore► SpiritualismSpiritualism
Immigrants Crossing the PrairieAlbert Bierstadt
Hudson River SchoolHudson River SchoolThomas Cole, Thomas Cole, The Voyage of LifeThe Voyage of Life
American ArchitectureAmerican Architecture
Parthenon - Athens
Pantheon - Rome
U.S. Capitol - c. 1820New York Customs House - 1842
American RomanticismAmerican RomanticismLiteratureLiterature
► The Last of the MohicansThe Last of the Mohicans by by James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper Tragedy of encroachment of Tragedy of encroachment of
European/American civilization European/American civilization on Nativeson Natives
Use of nature as a form of Use of nature as a form of developing charactersdeveloping characters
► The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel by Nathaniel HawthorneHawthorne Satire on America’s puritanical Satire on America’s puritanical
lifestyle and conformitylifestyle and conformity Sin more as an opportunity for Sin more as an opportunity for
growth rather than a hindrancegrowth rather than a hindrance Strength of the individual over Strength of the individual over
the communitythe community► Moby-DickMoby-Dick by Herman Melville by Herman Melville
No matter how much knowledge No matter how much knowledge acquired, no way to fully acquired, no way to fully understand the force of natureunderstand the force of nature
Captain Ahab views Moby-Dick as Captain Ahab views Moby-Dick as embodiment of evil and his embodiment of evil and his vengeance leads to his vengeance leads to his destructiondestruction
► Edgar Allen PoeEdgar Allen Poe Fear is the strongest emotionFear is the strongest emotion Frowned upon optimismFrowned upon optimism