The Pursuit of Perfection

1. A.P. U.S. History Mr. Krueger The Pursuit of Perfection

3. 1830-1831 – Revivals in the North • Charles G. Finney led the revival in Rochester, NY. • Heavy Drinkers and irregular church goers now change their tune • Followers of Finney attempt to get others to convert • Evangelical Protestantism provided the middle class with a strong sense of identity and purpose • Finney hoped that religious conversion and moral uplift would spread on its own • Religious reform: Attacks on alcohol, slavery, war, and government • Imposed new order and cultural unity • Instilled more radical movements that threaten to undermine established institutions. Religious Revivals

4. Evangelical revivalists in a way were similar to Jacksonians: • Both sought popular favor • Both assumed individuals were free agents capable of self direction and self improvement • Difference: • Jacksonians felt common people provided no threat to the community • Evangelical reformers felt that common people needed to be redeemed or uplifted. • In the 19th century – American Protestantism was in constant ferment. • Spreading the gospel and reforming morals • Ending government funding • Secular ideas as a base for Democratic Republicans Revivalists and Jacksonians

5. 1801 – a crowd of 50,000 gather at Cane Ridge, Kentucky – 2nd Great Awakening (South) • Organized by: Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians • Potentially the only way to get baptized, married, or gain religious experience was at a camp meeting. • Promoted a sense of community • 2nd Great Awakening in the North • Small town revivals • Reform and redemption of the human race – social changes unlike the South. • Developed to defend Calvinism – differences between age groups and the definition of God. • Women’s movement and temperance movement. More Great Awakenings

6. 1820’s – whiskey was popular. Cheaper than beer and milk, and safer than drinking water. • Alcohol consumption was triple that of today. • Temperance reformers felt alcohol was a threat to public morality and it threatened families. • Main target was abusive men. • 1830’s – consumption declined by 50%. Temperance Movement – “Demon’s Rum”

7. Evangelical Culture changed the institution of family • Triumph of marriage for love – mutual affection a must. • Wives were companions, not servants – egalitarian tone • But the husband was still head of the household • Evangelical movement encouraged feminine influences. • Revivals • Gave women a role in converting men • Created Christ with feminine characters: • Merciful • Loving • Nurturing • Provided a model for the women’s new role Women and the American Family

8. What were the social expectations of women in this time period? • Cult of True Womanhood • Two Spheres • Unmarried Women • Prostitutes • Sororities • Feminism • Childhood Discussion

9. Horace Mann – most influential spokesman for school movement • Established the State Board of Education • Adequate tax base for education • Taught the 3 R’s and protestant ethics • Reformers thought that malcontents could be helped in a controlled environment • Previously: • Insane were allowed to wander • Criminals were whipped and jailed • Paupers were supported by charities • Asylums, prisons, and poor houses created to be humanitarian, therapeutic, and attempted to reform • Not successful, needed to be improved. Education and Asylums

10. How did reforms turn radical? • Temperance • American Peace Society • Slavery, Racism, Abolition Discussion

11. New diets – fruits, veggies, and whole wheat Women began to wear loose bloomers Phrenology became popular – study of the shape of the skull to determine aptitude and intelligence Séances and contacting the dead Fads and Fashion