Chapter

15: The Ferment of Reform and Culture (1790-1860)

I.Reviving Religion
A.Practice of Christianity still around
B.The Age of Reason1794 by Thomas Paine argued that churches purpose was to
enslave, frighten, mankind and monopolize power.
C.Deism: Relying and believing in science rather than religion
D.Unitarians: God only exists in one person
E.Second Great Awakening- wave of revivals spread across the country
a.Because of lack of religious zeal, and ideas of deism and Unitarianism
b.They would gather in camp meetings
c.A lot of people converted
d.New sects of Christianity rose: Baptists and Methodists
e.Greater role of women in religion
f.Evangelacism increase
F.Peter Catwright: Methodist preacher; influential
G.Charles Grandinson Finney: Evangelist preacher made a change for womens religious
roles
II.Denominational Diversity
A.Burned Over District: Western NY known by preachers as hellfire & damnation
B.Millerites/ Adventists thought Christ would present himself to earth on October 22,
1844.
C.The Second Awakening caused a lot of gaps between classes and regions
D.Episcopals, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Unitarians= became more by
wealthier
E.Methodists, Baptists, and other sects= came from poorer classes
F.Slavery conflict= splits churches
III.A Desert Zion in Utah
A.Mormons: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1830
a.Formed by Joseph Smith, led them to Illinois but they were disliked there
b.Formed when he understood the golden plates sent by an angel to him
became the Book of Mormon
B.Brighman Young successor of Joseph Smith took the Mormons to Utah
C.Utah population grows and economy is better
D.Map 15.1 The Mormon World, From Illinois to Utah
E.Federal Government dislikes Mormons, in 1857 enemies march
IV.Free Schools for a Free People
A.Public education= people wanted it in order to be able to vote.
B.Teachers at the time were dumb, they knew only a little more than their students.
Only one classroom, one teacher, eight grades
C.Horace Man: want better schooling system
V.Higher Goals for Higher Learning
A.Second Great Awakening established many colleges, in south and west
 B.North Carolina university supported by state in 1795, Thomas Jefferson founds
University of Virginia 1819.
C.Womens rights in education were not that good because of cult domesticity, however
some centers opened to focus on educating women
D.Lyceum: lecture associations science, lit, philosophy.
VI.An Age of Reform
A.Second Great Awakening influential to create perfect society
B.Reformation escape for women from house duties, and prisoners were being
reformed
C.Mentally slow people were considered beasts and threats
D.Dorothea Dix, who visited several mental asylums, raised awareness about the harsh
treatment that mentally insane people had to go through.
E.1828, American Peace Society
VII.Demon Rum-The Old Deluder
A.Call for reformation in the area of DrinkingA lot of drinking issues on all classes
B.American Temperance Society: Boston 1826 made people sign a pledge, to keep away
of booze problems in different ways
a.Some were moderate reformers: resisted alcoholic temptation
b.Some were Intense reformers: took away alcohol completely
C.Maine Law of 1851: Neal S Dow, mayor of Portland alcohol protection
a.Banned sale and manufacturing alcohol
b.Reform worked decrease in drinking habits
VIII.Women in Revolt
A.Womens roles limited to the house, under mens decision
B.Better women treatment than in European countries
C.Defined economic roles and jobs separated men and women
D.Inspired women fighting for womens rights: Susan B Anthony, Lucrecia Mott,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
E.Seneca Falls Conevention/ Womens Rights 1848 women join to discuss reforms to
benefitwomen
IX.Wilderness Utopias
A.New Harmony: communal society, by Robert Owen
B.Brook Farm: philosophy of Transcendentalism, led to The Blithedale Romance
C.Oneida Community: free love, birth control, selection of genes, 1848
D.Shakers: England 1747, Mother Ann Lee longest lived sect
X.The Dawn of Scientific Achievement
A.Common things> Scientific Advances
B.Famous Scientists in early American history:
a. Benjamin Silliman: Notable chemist and geologist.
b.Louis Agassiz: Notable biologist, who disapproved of memorizing stuff.
c.Asa Grey: Published many renowned textbooks.
d.John J. Audubon: Famous naturalist, to whom current bird fanatics look up to.
C.Plagues still common, but more advanced medicine
D.Remedies were ven more harmful than actual natural death, Low llife expectancy
 E.In the 1840s greates invention: anesthesia, before 1840s pain endurance
XI.Artistic Achievements
A.Inspired architecture on greeks and romans
B.Famous American architect Thomas Jefferson
C.Artists look for European alternatives to support arts
D.Puritans said art was a waste of ones precious time
E.War of 1812, influence on a shift from portraits to landscape paintings
F.Hudson River School: School of art that like painting the Hudson river landscapes and
everything near it
G.Minstrel shows: White actors with black faces
H.Stephen C Foster: white man making the most famous black songs
XII.The Blossoming of a National Literature
A.American literature was based on plagiarizing British literature
B.Pre War of 1812, literature=political feelings
C.Washington Irving: Popular writer in America and Europe, 1st one to receive
recognition
D.James Fenimore Cooper: First American novelist
E.William Cullan Bryant: Great Poem writer and journalist
XIII.Trumpeters of Transcendalism
A.Transcendalism: Movement in the 1830s believing the truth exceeds the senses, and
that all people can find the highest truth, which will put them into direct connection
with God.
B.Ralph Waldo Emerson: Popular public speaker; transcendalist
a.The American Scholar: Lecture delivered in Harvard by Ralph saying Americans
should base their writings on originality rather than on Europeans
b.Issued indivualism
C.Henry David Thoreau: Transcendalist opposed government wrote about its injustice
D.Walt Whitman: Poet Leaves of Grass
XIV.Glowing Literary Lights
A.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Professor taught many languages, influential poet
B.Louisa May Alcott: author of Little Women
C.Emily Dickinson:poet, about love, death, morality, etc
XV.Literary Individualists and Dissenters
A.Edgar Allan Poe: American writer talked about dark themes in a brilliant manner,
basing his ideas on his own dark personal life.
a. Wrote about morbid themes but in an optimistic tone.
b.Had a history of drinking issues took his life
B.Herman Meliville: Writer, wrote about his experiences as a sailor, including his
literary masterpiece, Moby Dick.
a.Moby Dick did not receive much recognition.
b.Melville lived in obscurity for much of his life.
XVI.Portrayers of the Past
A.Emerging American Historians
B.Francis Parkman earliest historier: talked about American Revolution
 C.New England area thrived in Writers because there were nice libraries, wealth
D.Historians opposition to slavery, and south