Reform Between 1825 And 1850
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While some citizens of the United States, between 1825 and 1850, believed that reform was foolish and that the nation should stick to its old conduct, reformists in this time period still sought to make the United States a more ideally democratic nation. This was an age of nationalism and pride, and where there was pride in one’s country, there was the aspiration to improve one’s country even further. Many new reformist and abolitionist groups began to form, all attempting to change aspects of the United States that the respective groups thought to be unfair or unjust. Some groups, such as lower and middle class women and immigrants, sought to improve rights within the county, while other reformers aspired to change the American education system into a more efficient way of teaching the county’s youth. Still other reform groups, particularly involved in the church and the second great awakening, wanted to change society as a whole. This was a time and age of change, and all these reforms were intended to contribute to the democratic way our country operated.
Perhaps the most crucial reformists of the time period were those battling to obtain their God-given rights. Many lower class workers, such as African Americans, women, and immigrants, sought after the opportunity to vote, work it certain facilities, and be accepted in society as a whole. An engraving by Patrick Reason depicts an African American female in chains; with the inscription �Am I not a Woman and a Sister?’(Doc C) The woman shown is crying out, begging to be heard and listened to. Many males of the time period did not take female reformists seriously, or listen to them at all. On August 2nd, 1848, through the Seneca Falls Declaration, Elizabeth Cady Stanton protests against being taxed and having inferiority to men as women, while not having any say in this �democratic’ government at all. She also brings to attention how they are fighting for the right to vote, when their own form of government, being the democracy that it is, should permit women the right to vote initially. (Doc F) However, these women battled on and on to gain their rights, and make this country a truly democratic nation. Others, such as immigrants, fought to make it possible for success in America. Due to the naturalization act, an immigrant must remain in the United States for at least 14 years before becoming a United States citizen and being able to really have any impact on the country at all. Samuel F.B. Morse, in his Imminent Dangers to the Free Institutions of the United States brings the subject of the Naturalization Act to the country’s attention and attempts to change this act, in fear of a conspiracy against immigration. (Doc D) No matter what obstacles were thrown into the path of these groups battling on for reform, they didn’t concede. The reformist groups persevered and fought to expand America’s democratic ideals.
While attempting to change certain groups’ rights was crucial, an almost equally pressing issue of reform at the time was society. Across the country, increasing the morality and appearance of United States citizens had suddenly become a much more pressing issue, and various reform assemblies, and especially the church, struggled to improve society in ways they thought helpful. Due to the mass urbanization occurring so rapidly, there were naturally drawbacks. Prostitution and consumption of alcohol ere at an all time high, and the church aimed to lower those numbers significantly. The second great awakening came at an excellent time to revive religion, and claim that all people had the opportunity to be forgiven. In a document by Charles G. Finney, he states that the church’s aim was to take in sinners such as harlots and drunks, and вЂ?break down and change their hearts’ (Doc B) The second great awakening was all about giving second chances, and saying that humans shape their own fate, which inspired faith in many citizens that would otherwise have none. Aside from the church, however, many other reform groups attempted to clean up society. Temperance advocates sought to stop the drinking of alcohol in the fashion that American citizens were used to consuming it, as shown in the political cartoon “The Drunkards Progress. From The First Glass To The Grave.” (Doc H) The main idea behind this belief was that if one drinks any amount of alcohol at all, it leads to more and more consumption until the alcohol eventually destroys one’s life completely. This was the whole idea behind temperance leaders to sought to reform America and make it a more moral and democratic nation. To deal with America’s criminals, societies were formed for the creation of new prisons utilizing solitary confinement and mental punishment as opposed to the physical punishment that used to be applied. In the Fourth Annual