American Revivalism In The 1800's

American Revivalism was a religious movement that came about in the 1820’s and was propagated by Charles Grandison Finney. Its purpose was to help impoverished, loathsome, or sinful people achieve salvation by repenting their faults, abstaining from sinful practices, and providing for the community. This movement was a precursor to institutionalized reform services such as criminal rehabilitation or homeless shelters. American Revivalism had an immense impact on many demographics, particularly women. This had created an entirely new ideal for women to follow called the Cult of Domesticity, in which they would be bound to domestic life styles and stay out of politics or business. Soon, however, this sprout of Revivalism had overgrown throughout
the Northern United States and concentrated into radical reform groups. The Women’s Rights Movement had blossomed as one such a reform movement, which came into being in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention through the Declaration of Sentiments. Both the Declaration of sentiments and the Cult of Domesticity changed the cultural view of women and the position they had within their own families, but The Cult of Domesticity still denied women political freedoms and the Declaration of Sentiments did not hold women responsible to any modal moral character. Before the American Revivalism, The views of women were constraint to the medieval mindset of all women being analogs to temptation and sin, as was Eve from Biblical texts.
Women were also seen to be lower class citizens treated as property by their husband. This changed with The Cult of Domesticity or “true womanhood”. Women were now charged with the task of being moral compasses for the entire family. Their influence on the family would manifest itself within the well-behaved society they would grow into. Thus they were admired for their moral goodness and were seen as an authoritative figure when it came to morality. Ultimately, women were seen as loving, caring, and graceful. This change in cultural view would transform into the responsibilities women were allowed in the Declaration of Sentiments. Women used to have no control of property once they were married, nor were they given custody of children should divorce her husband. Women were given more control of property and divorces once the Declaration of Sentiments was passed, giving them greater societal responsibility, which in term gave them more authority. The worldview on what a women were had change significantly over the Revival and Reform movements. However the conflict of what a woman can do and what she ought to do was ever present between the two
movements. The answer to the question of voicing out the opinions of women was divided by either passively mediating them through the family or actively voicing them out in a political environment.
The Cult of Domesticity had limited women to the household because of the belief that women and men both innately are different when it came to work environments. They were unable to represent any issue because society believed women were more driven by passion and emotion and therefore, according to the leaders of the society, were unable to make rational logical decisions. This is why the Cult of Domesticity pushed the prospect of women also being passionless, pure, and passive so they could “transcend beyond this baser nature.” It was clear that the Cult of Domesticity still thought less of women, despite being upheld as a moral guide. The freedom to actively say one’s own opinions, out of her own will, is the only form of free speech that is considered real freedom, nothing else would suffice. Men could not vocally express the issues women faced either because they did not care or it went against their own interests. The more people have a say in the matter the less say each individual has, so people felt threatened by the influx that would occur with women. However, it was the only way to create true equality between the
sexes. While both movements sought to change to disposition on women and their role in the family and society, they were different in the approach of the ideas. The Cult of Domesticity being the caged bird of the two, singing beautiful hymns of love, comfort and morality, yet still imprisoned from voicing it to the world. While the Declaration of Sentiments incorporates more of the American ideal, recognizing the pressures and flaws of society women are placed under and addresses how they will be resolved.