7.01 Social & Religious Reforms
What was the Second Great Awakening?
The peaking of religious activity in the U.S. in the first half of the 1800s. This movement was more widespread than the first one and had greater long-term effects on American society.
What was the primary religion that enslaved persons in the Southern states were a part of or converted to?
Christianity
Why was education illegal for enslaved people in the South?
Education made it easier for them to escape. South Carolina passed a law making it illegal to emancipate, or free, enslaved persons slaves without permission from the state. Teaching enslaved persons to read or write was a punishable crime in most Southern states. Literacy increased the risk of rebellion and of enslaved persons attempting escape.
Were women's rights activists only active in the women's rights movement?
No, majority of them were active in other social reform movements as well, such as the abolition movement and the temperance movement.
What is transcendentalism?
A literary movement in the 1800s that focused on the self and individualism, in addition to nature and finding 'answers' to life's mysteries through nature.
What is a denomination?
A religious group consisting of several churches and following shared practice
In brief, describe the living conditions for enslaved people.
Living conditions were not good whatsoever - adults and children alike suffered constant undernourishment. Because the domestic slave trade continued after 1808, families were torn apart or frequently under threat of separation. Enslaved people had no rights under U.S. law.
They were forced to work long, hard hours outside under the hot sun. They were not given adequate food or drink. They were not permitted to get an education.
What was the abolition movement?
The movement to end slavery, also known as the antislavery movement.
Because it was believed that women were more moral than men
Transcendentalism was centered on writers and thinkers from which region in the U.S.?
New England (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island)
Name some of the social reform movements that arose in the 1800s and describe their relationship with religion, specifically evangelicalism.
The religious beliefs of evangelicals led many to be active in social reform movements. They focused a lot on values like freedom and justice. Some include antislavery, the temperance movement, and the women's rights movement.
Describe the role of religion in the lives of enslaved people in the U.S.
Spirituality also played an important role in the lives of enslaved persons in the United States. Africans came to the United States with a variety of religious beliefs. Many were polytheistic. The Second Great Awakening affected the enslaved population as well as the free. Before the 1800s, slaveholders feared the effect Christianity might have on the people they enslaved. Later, they saw conversion to Christianity as a way to make enslaved persons more submissive.
Some free African Americans became Baptist or Methodist preachers and started churches for those who were enslaved. Some enslaved persons felt they could relate to stories of suffering in the Bible. The words of their hymns spoke of having the strength to overcome severe distress. Many of these songs survive today.
How did the invention of the cotton gin affect slavery in the United States?
With the cotton gin, cotton production was now profitable across the South. Growing cotton still required intense work. Slaveholders believed that slavery was necessary to provide that labor. The value of enslaved persons increased. The more enslaved persons a cotton plantation had, the more cotton could be grown and exported. The cotton was sent to Northern factories to be turned into cloth and traded overseas.
Who was Susan B. Anthony? Provide DETAILS.
A women's rights activist who helped found the NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association. She published a weekly journal beginning 1868. She also befriended another activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, at the 1850 National Women's Rights Convention.
Why were Transcendentalists criticized by Christians?
They believed God and nature were the same - this was just one of their beliefs, but there were others that most Christians did not like
Why did some communities openly criticize revivals and evangelical preachers?
Some did not trust that people would actually do as they said they would do once they returned home from camp meetings. They questioned whether people would maintain promises made at a camp meeting once they returned to home and daily life.
How did enslaved people use folklore to preserve their culture?
Storytelling was a way for enslaved families to teach children the values important to them and provided entertainment. Probably the most famous stories feature Br'er Rabbit, who achieves his goals through his wits rather than strength, sometimes breaking accepted rules. These stories and the music people sang can be traced back to Africa.
Who was Jonathan Walker?
Jonathan Walker (1799-1878) was a famous Underground Railroad "conductor." "Conductor" was the code name for any person who helped enslaved persons escape captivity. These people were also known as freedom seekers. Walker was a sea captain who transported "freight," the enslaved persons, to the Bahamas and freedom. In 1844, he was arrested near the Florida coast. U.S. marshals jailed and branded him in Pensacola. The brand on his hand was "S.S." for "slave stealer," but his admirers changed it to "slave savior."
Which abolitionist was known for speaking about women's rights in the 1820s and even earlier?
William Lloyd Garrison
Why did Transcendentalists not care about disapproval much?
They believed they had "transcended," or gone beyond, most people in understanding the world. In their minds, conforming to, or following, what everyone else did was like losing their identity.
What is the 'Great Awakening'? (NOT the Second Great Awakening)
In the 1730s and 1740s, American participation in church and religious activities increased. Popular Christian churches used the Bible to teach that all men are equal, moral behavior determines worth, and people can be saved through service to God. The "Great Awakening" happened mainly in New England's traditional colonial religious groups. Ideas from this period influenced the American Revolution
What was the proportion of enslaved children who grew up with both parents in the vicinity (surrounding region)?
About two-thirds
How would both the North and South have been affected by the emancipation of enslaved persons?
Both the North and South would have been hurt economically, at least in the short term. The South earned profits from selling the cotton. The North earned profits from selling the cloth made from Southern cotton. If enslaved persons were emancipated, farm owners would be required to pay wages, which would make the cost of growing cotton rise. If it cost more to grow the cotton, Northern states would have to pay more to buy it. The Northern cloth would then cost more to make, and other countries might look for a cheaper product.
What was the main factor in the 1800s which led to the beginning of the women's rights movement in the U.S.?
The experience of gender discrimination within reform movements
American literacy and access to reading material continued to grow. Writers in the 1800s inspired others to use the mighty pen in support of reform efforts. Harriett Beecher Stowe, for example, stirred American outrage against slavery in her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ned Buntline revealed issues of poverty and crime in The Mysteries and Miseries of New York. Writers helped define and shape an American identity. This identity included not only reform causes and new ideas but also tales of myth, like those of Davy Crockett.