The Reforming Spirit
1. Many people, like Henry David Thoreau, believed that the rights of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence should be given to all Americans.
2. Some reformers attempted to improve society by creating utopias, bringing changes to American culture, art, religion, politics, education, and literature.
3. Although many groups tried to build uptopian communities, most people, unlike the Mormons, failed to keep them going for more than a few years.
The Religious Influence
1. In the early 1800s, a wave of religious fervor, known as the Second Great Awakening, began.
2. Because of this religious movement, people started to come to revivals, making them eagar to reform their lives and the world.
3. Many also became involved in missionary work and social reform movements.
War Against Alcohol
1. Religious leaders were against public drunkenness and alcohol abuse, which were both very common in the early 1800s.
2. Reformers, like Lyman Beecher, called for temperance, using lectures, pamphlets, and rallies to gain supporters until they gathered enough people to create the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance in 1826.
3. Many laws were passed on the drinking and selling of alcoholic beverages but many were repealed due to strong opposition.
2. Some reformers attempted to improve society by creating utopias, bringing changes to American culture, art, religion, politics, education, and literature.
3. Although many groups tried to build uptopian communities, most people, unlike the Mormons, failed to keep them going for more than a few years.
The Religious Influence
1. In the early 1800s, a wave of religious fervor, known as the Second Great Awakening, began.
2. Because of this religious movement, people started to come to revivals, making them eagar to reform their lives and the world.
3. Many also became involved in missionary work and social reform movements.
War Against Alcohol
1. Religious leaders were against public drunkenness and alcohol abuse, which were both very common in the early 1800s.
2. Reformers, like Lyman Beecher, called for temperance, using lectures, pamphlets, and rallies to gain supporters until they gathered enough people to create the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance in 1826.
3. Many laws were passed on the drinking and selling of alcoholic beverages but many were repealed due to strong opposition.
Reforming Education
1. In the early 1800s, only the New England region was providing a free elementary education, and many kids were unable to recieve schooling.
2. Horace Mann helped the educational reform by lengthening the school year, doubling salaries, and training teachers during his term as the head of the Massachusetts Board of Education.
3. In 1839, the first normal school was founded in Massachusetts.
Education for Some
1. In the 1850s, most schools accepted the fact that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that it should be mandatory for kids to attend school.
2. Unfortunately, these three principles were not automatically accepted and put into effect by Americans, and many kids were still unable to attend school.
3. Females, African Americans, and those living in the West were also unlikely to recieve a education due to the beliefs of parents, geography, and discrimination.
Higher Education
1. During the social reform, many colleges and universities were created by various people and religious groups.
2. From the 1820s to the 1850s, colleges slowly began to open their doors to women and African Americans, instead of just men.
3. The Oberlin College of Ohio (1833), Mount Holyoke (1837), and the Ashmun Institute (1854) were all examples of higher education that offered the opportunity of higher education to African Americans and women.
People with Special Needs
1. In 1817, Thomas Gallaudet opened the Hartford School for the Deaf in Connecticut to educate those who had problems hearing things.
2. In Boston, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe opened the Perkins Institute to help teach the blind and visually impaired using a method of raised letters.
3. In 1841, Dorothea Dix began to educate people on the conditions inside prisons for the mentally ill and for prisoners.
2. Horace Mann helped the educational reform by lengthening the school year, doubling salaries, and training teachers during his term as the head of the Massachusetts Board of Education.
3. In 1839, the first normal school was founded in Massachusetts.
Education for Some
1. In the 1850s, most schools accepted the fact that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that it should be mandatory for kids to attend school.
2. Unfortunately, these three principles were not automatically accepted and put into effect by Americans, and many kids were still unable to attend school.
3. Females, African Americans, and those living in the West were also unlikely to recieve a education due to the beliefs of parents, geography, and discrimination.
Higher Education
1. During the social reform, many colleges and universities were created by various people and religious groups.
2. From the 1820s to the 1850s, colleges slowly began to open their doors to women and African Americans, instead of just men.
3. The Oberlin College of Ohio (1833), Mount Holyoke (1837), and the Ashmun Institute (1854) were all examples of higher education that offered the opportunity of higher education to African Americans and women.
People with Special Needs
1. In 1817, Thomas Gallaudet opened the Hartford School for the Deaf in Connecticut to educate those who had problems hearing things.
2. In Boston, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe opened the Perkins Institute to help teach the blind and visually impaired using a method of raised letters.
3. In 1841, Dorothea Dix began to educate people on the conditions inside prisons for the mentally ill and for prisoners.
Cultural Trends
1. The American spirit of reform influenced transcendentalists like Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Emily Dickinson.
2. These writers and poets usually focused their works on the relationship between humans and nature as well as the importance of the human conscience.
3. Although women writers were among the best authors of the time, they were generally not taken seriously due to their gender.
2. These writers and poets usually focused their works on the relationship between humans and nature as well as the importance of the human conscience.
3. Although women writers were among the best authors of the time, they were generally not taken seriously due to their gender.