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Revival, Reform and Politics during the Jackson Era (1824 – 1845)*The Second Great Awakening*- The wave of reform that swept America in the early nineteenth century was both a reaction to the radicalchanges American society experienced following the War of 1812 [immigration, market economy,expansion] and to the Second Great Awakening (1790s – 1840s).- During the SGA preachers encouraged sinners to repent and offered them a chance to become trueChristians. Salvation was available for all through personal conversion. This philosophy increased layparticipation, made religion more democratic, and led to efforts to reform society.- In the South, revival attendance was very high [esp. women and African Americans] – the “Bible belt.” Inthe North, former NY lawyer Charles Finney led the movement following his conversion in 1821. Finneyemphasized the power of spontaneous personal conversions, stating that anyone could be saved that way.- The SGA caused people to believe the Second Coming was drawing near and inspired people to try tospeed the process by fighting evil through reform. All the sects of the SGA also shared a belief in selfimprovementand the formation of organizations to help others convert.- Women were more involved in this than men were [though they often forced their husbands and familiesinto it as well]. For women, revival meetings and reform societies offered unique opportunities forparticipation in public life and politics.*The Pursuit of Perfection: Nineteenth Century Reform Movements*- Some of the most significant nineteenth century reform movements include… Anti-Prostitution – after a divinity student published a report in 1830 about the incidence ofprostitution in NYC, women began a drive to help reform the prostitutes and stop young menfrom abusing women through the Female Moral Reform Society (1834). As the decadeprogressed the FMRS opened chapters throughout the nation, and became involved politically. Temperance – one of the most successful reform efforts, the temperance movement workedtowards reducing alcohol consumption [much higher then that it is now]… The movement was both inspired by religion [alcohol=sin], by women who found thattheir families were being destroyed by alcoholism, and was favored by employerswho realized their employees would be more efficient w/o it. Even popular culture reflected the movement’s ideology – Timothy Shaw Arthur’sTen Nights in a Barroom (1853), Deacon Robert Peckham’s temperance paintings. As the years passed the emphasis of reformers shifted from moderation to abstinenceto prohibition. The movement was very successful [sharp decline in alcohol use,some states prohibited its sale], but continued to rise even as consumption fell. From the 1820s on, the movement also began targeting immigrants and Catholics asthe source of the problem – most Catholics favored self-control over state laws. Penitentiaries and Asylums – state institutions to hold criminals began w/good intentions[rehabilitate them], but they soon became overcrowded and inhumane. Mentally ill people werealso put in the prisons along with the criminals. Reformers, esp. Dorothea Dix, successfullypressed for improvements in prisons and the creation of asylums. Antimasonry – the Antimasonry movement was a short, intense attack on Freemasonry… Freemasonry – a secret society that came to the US from England in the 18th centuryand emphasized individual belief and brotherhood [vs. one organized religion]. AMssaw the society as anti-democratic and elitist, evangelists even saw it as satanic. AM moved into the political arena w/the supposed murder of William Morgan, an ex-Mason who published an exposé in 1826. In 1827 the AMs held conventions to select candidates to oppose Masons, and in1831 they held the first nat’l political convention in Baltimore. E/t AM declined w/the Masons in the mid-1830s, the movement had significant impactb/c it inspired broader political participation [attracting lower classes vs. Mason elite]and introduced the convention and party platform. Abolitionism – as AM declined, abolitionism gathered momentum… Prior to 1830 immediate abolition was not really advocated by anyone, althoughinvolvement began to grow following the War of 1812. In 1816 the American Colonization Society was founded [free slaves and ship themback to Africa, no place for them in American society]. But by 1830 the immediatists [instant, compete, uncompensated emancipation]surpassed the gradualists as the leading voice in the movement.29