The Second Great Awakening
Uploaded by Slickest Nicca on Sep 20, 2006
In the late 1820s and 1830s a religious revival called the Second Great Awakening had a strong impact on pre- Civil War American religion and reform. The revival was a response to rapid immigration, industrialization and urbanization. Of the major reforms four stand out greatly. They are temperance, rehabilitation, abolitionism and women’s rights. Methodist and Baptist groups experienced a surge of membership without delaying a move toward laissez-faire and competitiveness on the part of the Anglican, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches. The success of the Methodists and Baptists lay for the most part in their reliance on traveling preachers who brought the message of the church to the people, converting great numbers through emotionally charged revivals. The age of evangelicalism had arrived, with the Protestants and upper middle class women leading the charge, making this one of the most impact reforms in American history.
The temperance movement was organized to reduce the drinking of liquor or total abstinence. The movement was supported mainly by women who were the most effected by the drinking of their husbands. Alcohol was blamed for society’s problems such as, health problems, poverty, and crime. Temperance associations were established in New York and Massachusetts with the help of churches. Some 6,000 local temperance groups were up and running by the 1830’s. Also, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon League quickly picked up steam. As their political power grew, they changed from moral persuasion to making the government to control liquor. In fact, they succeeded in getting many liquor laws passed with help from churches and factories who saw poor productivity from drunken workers. Some distinguished figures are Susan B Anthony, Frances e. Willard, and Carry Nation. Some effects that remained permanent are government regulation, instruction on alcoholism in schools, study of alcoholism.
The rehabilitation movement helped to improve the lives of the destitute. Group leaders wanted to create institutions for specific illnesses. In colonial times, orphans mentally challenged people, and criminals were cared by their own families and remained part of the community. Reformers wanted these people placed in specialized institutions where they could be trained or improved. Prison reforms included rehabilitation of criminals attempted to counter the tendency of prisons to create more hardened criminals. Work was seen as way to reform criminals. Hence, asylums, orphanages, prisons, and reformatories were developed. However, the earlier places had inhumane living conditions. But a...