Dbq Reform Movements

DBQ Reform movements relating to temperance, abolition, and women's rights , etc. were put into operation during the time period of 1825-1850. The instability of America caused democratic leaders to change America and transform it to accommodate democratic ideals. Numerous utopian societies such as brook farm, the shakers, and the Oneida community accepted the fact that men and women were able to live equally and peacefully. Unfortunately, these utopian societies eventually failed to show the American emphasis on a democratic society but there were many other reforms that led to success. The rise of religious revivals from the second great awakening in 1800 opened a path for equal rights and protection of the liberties of different social groups that want to advance society technologically. The desire to bring order and control upon people helped reform society to its nation's ideals. Therefore, the reform movements of 1825-1850 promote and democratic ideals, such as equality for all and true religious freedom. Slavery in the antebellum period was a critical issue that led up all the way to the civil war. One of the biggest issues during the reforms was abolition movements. People like William Lloyd Garrison and Fredrick Douglas promoted abolition to slavery. Escape routes were created such as the underground railroad which was a network of secret routes and safe houses that would keep slaves in their houses so that they would be able to escape to the free states or Canada. Not only did they escape but some even rebelled against the South. Nat Turners rebellion in 1831 embedded fear into the white slave owner society that they are in danger. Slave women also rebelled in their own ways. Harriet Ann Jacobs was an escaped slave that was abused by her master. She wrote a book called "Incidents in the life of a slave girl" which gave more of a reason to abolish slavery (Doc. C). Other than slavery, nativism posed a problem as well. Samuel Morse represents the reformers who support laws that made it more difficult for an immigrant to become an American citizen. Morse believed immigrants have become more focused on following the orders from the Catholic conspiracy (the Holy Alliance) that are not coming to support the American Liberty (Doc. D). Many reforms took part in making America a better place. American churches sought to reform people that are corrupt such as prostitutes, alcoholics, and infidels. They craved to awaken them and convert them into an ideal American person (Doc. B). Alcohol was a serious problem in antebellum America. People in the 1830s used to drink three times as much as the modern day human. Reformers saw this problem and sparked up the temperance movement since Finny coverts claimed that alcoholic men placed a burden on their wives and family (Doc. H). The drunkards progress demonstrated how alcohol affected the men of that time. They could not control themselves and eventually ruins their lives from one simple glass to poverty and then suicide. Reformers wanted lessen the dependence on alcohol by displaying the consequences to the society so that they will realize the effects of drinking before it gets worse. Moreover, scarce children were going to school and less were being educated. Horace Mann and his followers created the education reform so that more children and people will be able to attend school. They did not want the uneducated generations to grow up and influence the government with their stupidity. William McGuffey wanted to illustrate how an average good boy should act in place of society which support democratic ideals (Doc. E). His article was a direct opposition to the social ladder that raises ones status. It clearly supports the democratic ideals of hard work for the greater good and living in a highly cohesive, work-sharing family. As mentioned in the introduction, copious believers of the second great awakening wanted to create equal rights. Feminism spread throughout the countries to redefine gender roles. One of the famous utopian societies was Brook farm. Brook farm was society developed by George Ripley in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1841 to gather individuals to create a new form of social organization. Residents of the community will share equal labor because they believed leisure was the first necessity for cultivation of the self. They mostly wanted to create an association that would promote the purposes of human culture and apply principles of love and justice into their organization (Doc. F). Although Brook farm was a failure, it encouraged others to form other experimental societies. Women's rights was a significant event that expanded democratic ideals. They all started out as female abolitionists to slavery and then they wanted to rise up their status as women to become on par with men. They argued that women should have equal rights and opportunities as men and should no longer be restricted by the cult of domesticity. Ideas of reform came from the first amendment when it states that freedom of religion, press, assembly, and speech, were not allowed for women, even though there was no legal prevention. During the Seneca falls convention in 1848 in New York, one of the main reformers for women's rights, Elizabeth Stanton, proclaimed the declaration of sentiments which stated that "all men and women are created equal". It protested against the existing form of government and promoted women suffrage so that they will have the right to make a stand in government and laws (Doc. I). In her declaration in the Seneca Falls Convention, she talks about how women still must support taxes and fund but they are not allowed to vote, how a man is able to roam freely when the woman is imprisoned in the home. This sparked up the women's rights movement to demolish the cult of two spheres and abandon the cult of true womanhood. Later in July 1848, people like William Lloyd Garrison, Fredrick Douglas, and Wendell Phillips supported the right of women to have the right of speech and participate equally with men. Other than promoting the rights of women, Dorothea Dix was a reformer that saw a problem with the existing prisons and asylums. These advocated prison and hospital reforms because America had one of societies most glaring ills. There were criminals of all kinds and debtors unable to pay rents, mentally ill people and senile paupers. They were all crowded into prisons which were also the worst cells since it some mineshafts were used as prisons. The reform split the groups of prisoners from age groups because young children are able to learn what's right and change themselves unlike the crime committing elders (Doc. A). Dix showed how mentally ill people were treated in prisons and the bad sanitary conditions there. She helped improve the prison conditions and help create mental hospitals so that the mental people would be separated from the criminals. Democratic ideal was the main reason why people decided to reform America to make it a much better place. Although there may be reformers, there are always anti-reformers. Not all people wanted to change America but wanted to keep it the way it is. Mostly these people are loyalists that still want to maintain ties with England. They bring up the past as references as to what they had accomplished. These anti-reformers express their own views on reformers and criticizes their efforts to change society (Doc. G). Most of their criticism goes to the utopian societies since the failures of these societies advocated their purpose that the original society was the perfect society. Even though there were anti-reformers, the majority of the population advocated reform so the view of the anti-reformers were put down. African Africans, women, foreign emigrants, and society all faced unfairness and abuse in the United States from 1825-1850. Abolition movements, women's rights movements and reforms sought to expand the democratic ideals in many aspects such as Equality, Life, Liberty, and Justice which are the core value to expanding democratic ideals in America.