The Antebellum Period: 1820-1860

The Antebellum Period occurred from 1820-1860. It was a period in history where abolition was using and separation between abolitionists and supporters of slavery became apparent. While the abolitionist movement is one of the well known social reforms to have occurred, there was also the Horace Mann and the Public School Movement which fought for the equality in education. There was also the Temperance Movement which called for the prohibition of alcohol. The Abolitionist Movement was formed during the 1830s. The goal was to achieve emancipation of all slaves, to be able to provide equal treatment among all people. There were many rebellions and admirable political and social figures. The most well know were Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison. Frederick Douglas was relatable to many of
It was a period in time where people, mainly women, fought against the consumption of alcohol. During the 1830s and 1840s, alcohol had become a widespread political and social problem. Men turned to alcohol as a means of celebration and escape from reality. They would spend all of their families money on liquor, drink until they couldn’t drink anymore, and would sometimes come home where things would turn violent. Whigs, the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance, and Washington Temperance Societies were against the abuse of alcohol and helped ban drinking at work. Drunk workers called for more accidents to occur with the use of large machines in factories. However, the Democrats and many immigrants, mainly Germans and Irish, were against the Temperance Movement, they valued the social drinking. Luckily, the women in town gathered in protest and campaigned against alcohol, stressing the harm it caused both the household and their families financially. Through many successful and frequent protests, alcohol consumption was halved, yet it still remained constant throughout the 19th