USI.32

 media type="custom" key="29548165" align="right" =Describe important religious trends that shaped antebellum America=

** Topics on the Page **

 * The Second Great Awakening **
 * **Other Reform Movements**
 * **The Temperance Movement**
 * **The Women's Movement**
 * **Dorothea Dix**
 * **Abolitionism**
 * The increase in the number of Protestant denominations **
 * The influence of these trends on the reaction of Protestants to the growth of Catholic immigration **
 * ** The Know-Nothing Party **

//Focus Question: What were the important religious trends that shaped antebellum America?//
===For more, see AP United States History Theme 8===

Click here to view a video on the First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty

The Second Great Awakening
The period before the Civil War in the U.S. is commonly referred to as [|Antebellum [1]] which literally means “before war” in Latin.
 * It was during this period that the country became more polarized, leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.
 * The term **sectionalism** is also used describe what was going on in the country at the time.
 * [|Slide Show] on the rise of sectionalism in the U.S.
 * Southern states were increasingly going after policies that would only benefit a small portion of the country, whereas Northern states favored policies that would help to unite the nation and directly impact the country as a whole.
 * The South believed strongly in state’s rights, while the North saw a need for a unified union in order for the nation to succeed.
 * Religion played a key role for during this period, and many people used religion and religious teachings to be motivation for making societal changes.
 * In addition to the abolitionist movement, women's rights and the temperance movement were also present in the antebellum years.

[[image:http://flashmedia.glynn.k12.ga.us/webpages/kadams/photos/20126/2map-09-04.jpg width="245" height="252" align="right"]]
Religion was a major component of the antebellum period. Christianity was becoming more dominant, and Christian beliefs were becoming law.
 * [|The Second Great Awakening [2]] was a major social movement of the 19th century.
 * Also present was an increasing number of [|Protestant [3]] denominations and [|Catholic [4]] immigrants which all also lead to split sides and feelings of sectionalism.

[|The Age of Reason] by Thomas Paine was instrumental in cultivating debate leading to and during the Second Great Awakening

[|Lecture] given by Charles Finney in 1835 which discussing the religious revival.


 * Click here to view a video that explains [|the Second Great Awakening] and its effects.
 * [|Click here] for a Crash Course on pre-Civil War reforms including religious expansion and the Second Great Awakening.
 * [|Khan] Academy video on the Second Great Awakening.

In the early portion of the 19th century there was a great revival of religion in the states. Many new denominations of Protestantism emerged along with several other sects of Christianity.
 * The Baptists, Mormons, and Methodists all experienced a revival on a larger scale than other denominations. Evangelical Christians experienced the largest growth of all and worked hard to spread their religion and convert others.
 * During this time religion became so important that it was able to influence many people into either changing their beliefs toward equality or establishing them.
 * Abolitionism was able to spread through this religious lens, as people were beginning to see the inherent evils in slavery.

[|JSTOR article] on Young Women and the Second Great Awakening in New England.

[|Timeline] of important religious events and figures in U.S. History.

[|Key questions] on the Second Great Awakening and lesson plan ideas.

[|Document Based Activity] (or DBQ) on the Second Great Awakening.

[|Click here] for a collection of primary source documents on the Second Great Awakening.

**One of the important effects of the Second Great Awakening was**: a) the weakening of the Methodist Protestant denomination b) the growth of reform movements that addressed issues in many areas of United States society c) a decrease in the participation of women and African Americans in religious revivals d) the unification of various Protestant denominations in Eastern states

Correct Answer: B (2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress; 64 percent of 12th graders answered this question correctly)

Other Reform Movements

 * Text on the image to the right reads: Step 1: A glass with a friend. Step 2: A glass to keep the cold out. Step 3: A glass too much. Step 4: Drunk and riotous. Step 5: The summit attained. Jolly companions, a confirmed drunkard. Step 6: Poverty and Disease. Step 7: Forsaken by Friends. Step 8: Desperation and crime. Step 9: Death by suicide **

[|Lesson Plan] for the other important moments during the period.

**The Temperance Movement**
The Temperance Movement from Ohio History Central

Temperance Reform in the Early 19th Century

**The Women's Movement**
[|The women’s movement [5]] also began to pick up a lot of momentum during this period and along with that was [|the temperance movement [6]].

The Seneca Falls Convention was a meeting from July 19 to July 20, 1848. Participants met to discuss the rights of Women within the United States. It was the first women's convention.
 * During the meeting that Elizabeth Cady Stanton authored the [|Declaration of Sentiments] which discusses the issues and reservations that women had during the period. Stanton modeled it after the Declaration of Independence.


 * [[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43" link="USI.33"]]See United States History I.33 for more on the women's suffrage movement before the Civil War**
 * This was all happening from about 1800-1830, and as we now know, these new social ideas created a split that was already brewing between the states.
 * Other notable reform movements included a new focus on public schools and mental illness asylums under the leadership of [|Horace Mann] and [|Dorothea Dix].
 * [|Crash Course] on the 19th Century Women's Movements.



Dorothea Dix
[|Dorothea Dix], from American Journal of Public Health

[|Memorial to the Massachusetts Legislature](1843)

**Abolitionism**

 * [[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43" link="USI.31"]]See United States History I.31 for more on Abolitionism**

The main focus in terms of the Civil War was the debate over slavery. The Second Great Awakening opened up a lot of eyes towards all the hardships and negatives that go along with slavery. They saw how unjust and morally disgusting the act was and religion helped “fuel this fire.” Those looking into religion for advice saw that this was not okay and soon abolitionists sprung up all over the young nation. Changes were in store and because of this revival of religion, those changes were going to be positive for the nation.

The Second Great Awakening, as described above, influenced many people to distinguish their beliefs, if different, from the major forms of Christianity that were present.

In turn, during the years leading up to the Civil War, many new sects of Protestantism began to emerge all over the country.

Also, within the old Protestant denominations, splits were occurring. The issue of slavery, was of course, the main reason for the splits.

Within each denomination people held opposing beliefs leading to intense polarization even between people with very similar religious beliefs.

There were many new denominations that emerged and due to their differing beliefs they were a source for a lot of religious tension that was shaping antebellum America.

Click here Timeline: Faith in America to understand how religious ideas shaped America's public life [|Here] is a breakdown of the impacts of the Second Great Awakening on different religions, as well as links to relevant biographies.

Protestant Reaction to the Growth of Catholic Immigration
Catholic immigration also played a large role in the shaping of attitudes during this antebellum period.
 * Catholics were immigrating from all over Europe, bust mostly from Ireland, to the U.S. and this was causing many Protestants in the country to take notice and to start aiming their efforts away from slavery and towards what they saw as the problem of Catholic immigration.
 * To Protestants nationwide, Catholics seemed to be inferior people. They were not fit to enjoy liberty like the citizens of the country were. The Catholics were mostly working-class families so their presence also meant far less jobs for everyone else
 * Immigration has always been a concern for some group in the U.S. During this period it took special importance because it further polarized the nation, now in a new manner. The Catholic immigrants were constantly entering the country and the Protestants here were going to try and make it so they couldn’t and so they couldn’t in turn influence any policies here in the U.S.



**The Know-Nothing Party**
Go here for a [|brief background on the Know-Nothing Party]

[|Nativism and the Know-Nothing Party f]rom the Library of Congress has sheet music for students to read and analyze Video on [|Nativism] and the Know-Nothing Party.8


 * [[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43" link="Political parties and elections"]]See Political Parties and Elections for more on political parties in American history**

Links
[1] (2005). Antebellum America. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from History Central Web site: http://www.historycentral.com/Ant/Index.html [2] (December 12, 2006). The Second Great Awakening. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from From Revolution to Reconstruction Web site: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/H/1994/ch4_p13.htm [3] (April 19, 2007). Protestantism. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant [4] (April 16, 2007). Catholicism. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism [5] (2007). Woman Suffrage Time line. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from The Liz Library Web site: http://www.thelizlibrary.org/SUFFRAGE.HTM [6] Hanson, D (2007). National Prohibition of Alcohol in the U.S.. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from Alcohol Problems and Solution Web site: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Controversies/1091124904.html