Second Great Awakening: Social Reformers In The Antebellum Era

Reformers in the antebellum period were concerned about the lack of religion, women's rights, slavery and numerous other social reforms. These controversial issues were tackled by eloquent speakers like Charles Finney, who commenced the Second Great Awakening, and individuals who noticed that the American society was dehumanising large affinity groups, like a woman named Dorothea Dix, who noticed that the living conditions for the mentally ill resemble prison cells, and led a crusade to change mental hospitals across the United States (Newman 212). The people in the antebellum era made a difference by being the change they wanted to see in the world (Gandhi). The Second Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals in the United States
led by Charles Finney (Newman 207). Charles Finney was a New York preacher who instead of using logic, he used emotion to compel people to convert , “There must be excitement sufficient to wake up the dormant moral powers, and roll back the tide of degradation and sin (Doc 3). His sermons were so convincing that people would convert on the spot, and New York was nicknamed the “burned over district”. Additionally, new religions were created like Ann Lee and The Shakers who pledged to live a celibate life and lived in communal housing(Fraser 310). Also the Great Awakening caused people to realize that slavery was against god, and that inequality in their society existed. For example, people became aware about who benefited from education, “in conscience, and consistently with their sense of duty to God, and to their offspring, intrust the Public School Society with the office of giving "a right direction to the minds of their children”.....The contest is between the guaranteed rights, civil and religious, of the citizen on the one hand, and the pretensions of the Public School Society on the other; and whilst it has been silently going on for years... the benefits of public education are most essential--the children of the poor.” (Doc 5). With all the religious and anti-slavery movements occurring, women realized that they were not being treated equal to men.
Instead they were being treated like second class citizens that were not valued in society. In 1848 feminists met to have the firsts women's rights convention in the United States (Newman 214). The convention was called the Seneca Falls Convention, because it was held in Seneca Falls, New York (Doc 1). At this convention the feminists determined in their Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions that, “we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”(Doc 7). Additionally to the convention women were given more rights by the creation of the first women's college, and women becoming school
teachers. In addition the people of America cared about reforming the American society for the better.
During the Industrial Revolution the English invented the power loom and spinning jennies (Fraser 266). Since the technology was fairly new there were no rules or regulations on how to run a safe factory. Most of the workers of these factories were women or young children, “They were paid two dollars a week. The working hours of all the girls extended from five o'clock in the morning until seven in the evening, with one half hour each, for breakfast and dinner. Even the doffers were forced to be on duty nearly fourteen hours a day. This was the greatest hardship in the lives of these children” (Doc 4). Also the Anti Slavery movement was gaining more and more momentum, because of the creation American Anti- Slavery Society, and the feminists empathized with slavery. Women identified with slaves because they both were treated unequally. In Document 8 there is a slave woman kneeling with chains on her wrists, with the words “ Am not a woman and a sister” (Doc 8). This illustrates the hypocrisy of a racist feminist because white or black, women went through similar struggles. Overall, Reformers in the antebellum era were concerned about religion, women's rights, slavery and were trying to reform the American society. What made this time period so successful was that the white males who were empowered, spoke up with the mistreated people. Just by creating an anti-slavery newspaper The
Liberator published by William Lloyd Garrison was able to help shine light on the horrors of slavery ( Newman 215). When the white males were able to recognize their privilege it led to action, and the people who did not have a voice, were finally given one.