THE ANTEBELLUM ERA

REFORM MOVEMENTS

• Second Great Awakening
• Literature
• Arts
• Abolition
• Education Reform

Untitled Slide

• Women's Rights v. Cult of Domesticity
• Criminal Treatment
• Mental Illness

Background: Starting in the 1790s, an uprising of religious revivals had begun. Although established churches had ended, there was real no separation of church and state. Religious freedom was spread throughout the North and South by Methodist and Baptist preachers riding circuits and also by incorporating styles from the 1st Great Awakening.

What was the impact?
Well, more Americans became Unitarians, there was an increase in religious benevolence including, uniting different denominations in a common cause, and also by improving society overall. Also, for the women, there were advances in women education and an end to gender segregation in church meetings. But, men still tried to limit their power.

Important Figures
The most influential figure from the Second Great Awakening is, Charles Finney Grandison. He believed in Revivalism and Reform, and also helped with the Temperance movement.

How is this different from the first Great Awakening?
The first Great Awakening had multiple denominations, and an enhancement of religious toleration. Compared to the 2nd Great Awakening, where there is more religious freedom.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
The Second Great Awakening reflects nationalism because during this reform movement, there is more evidence of the people uniting together and improving society as a whole. Instead of being disappointed in what the country has come too, the Americans during the Second Great Awakening were proud.

LITERATURE

Before the Antebellum Era
Major literary forms of the 17th-18th century included Native American oral stories, Puritan writings and American political writings.

Poets such as;
Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthrone, James Fenimore Cooper and Edgar Allan Poe had sparked something extraordinary new during the antebellum period.

Washington Irving
Irving had applied humor into a variety of his writings. Some of his work including, legends, popular folktale and more had gained attention from people around the country. An example of his work is: The Sketch Book of Henry Crayon, Gent. (1819-20)

Nathaniel Hawthrone
One of the many great novelists, but with pessimistic opinions. He influenced many by incorporating the strong ideas around individualism. Some of his work includes, The Scarlett Letter (1850)

James Fenimore Cooper
Most famous for his admiration of courage and adventuresome of the American character. He recognized the conflicts between wilderness and the increase in civilization. This type of acknowledgement attracted many.
Some of his work includes, Last of the Mohicans. (1826)

Edgar Allan Poe
He was famous for his short stories / poems. He not only reflected pessimism, but he also based his work off of Romanticism. He incorporated fiction in some of his famous pieces including, Murders in the Rue Morgue. (1845)

Poetry
Besides the uprising of many inspiration and professional poets and writers, poetry was also preferred by the Americans as well. Poetry had reflected love, horror and patriotism.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Literature represents Nationalism. Most of the literature that was present during the Antebellum period was patriotic based. Patriotism reflected through literature represents the loyalty to the country.

ARTS

Before the Antebellum period, art was mostly based off of ideas from the Enlightenment. Now, with influences from the Hudson River School, art takes a different turn in history.

The Hudson River School Consists on three primary members, Thomas Cole, Frederic Church and Asher Durand.

They created art with nature. They incorporated wildlife such as trees, "sparkling water" and more. Incorporating this beauty in art helped viewers see the majesty and mystery of the vanishing American environment.

"To walk with nature as a poet is the necessary condition of a perfect artist."
-Thomas Cole

MUSIC

TYPES OF MUSIC

• Music was based off the cultural developments
• Consisted of patriotic songs
• Music was incoperated religiously
• Also consisted of foreign opera
• Compositions and folk tale music was popular as well.

Overall, patriotic music was the most popular during the Antebellum period. It caused inspiration and motivation for citizens and soldiers.

Other music such as folktale, religious music, foreign opera and more, consisted of different audiences. Townspeople enjoyed most of the religious music. Folktale was mostly served as entertainment and was very upbeat and energetic. Foreign opera and compositions had enhanced elegance and a taste of high-class for the Americans.

Another type of music, typically in the South was blackface minstrel shows. This was when white men had masqueraded as African Americans, and mocked / insulted their culture and heritage. It was seen as entertainment to the white audience, but an insult to the African Americans.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Art represents Nationalism. Just like with literature, art represents not only the beauty of America, but also patriotism. Emphasizing the beauty and patriotism through art represents nationalism. Although, some of the more racial music that was not used towards patriotism, was seen as sectionalism. The racial music buts a spilt between region, where one side sees it as entertainment and one sees it as an insult.

ABOLITION

Some major abolition groups included the African American slaves and women during the Antebellum period.

Looking more specifically at the African American slaves, they have been mistreated and neglected since they first reached America. It is not until the mid - 1800s when antislavery abolitionist take a stand against the inequality.

Major Events
African Americans wanted to raise their social status through "education, temperance and hard work." (360) David Walker, a free Northern black had fought for qualify for the African Americans by using legal and political protests and also by publishing pamphlet, as a call for action. Also, there was Nat Turner, who created a horrific slave revolt, as a message to the faultfinding pro-slavery advocates.

WOMEN

The same injustices were also towards the women as well as the African Americans. Women had fought for centuries for their rights towards property owning, marriage rights and self status. Women used references to slavery and to the Bible to help gain equality. Their fight for equality continues on through the Antebellum period.

There were also previous groups before the Antebellum era that had faced similar injustices as well, such as the Native Americans, the mistreated workers during the Industrial Revolution, and also the lower class. Each one of these groups faced cruelty and injustice from the majority, just like the African Americans and women were facing during the Antebellum era.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Abolition represents Sectionalism. Abolition had separated the regions apart instead of uniting them together. There were many groups facing injustices, and there for there was not a lot of loyalty towards America, when acts of injustices was seen everywhere.

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Before the Antebellum era, the only education people were getting was from their homes. Also, it was the farmers, artisans and laborers who only wanted their children to be educated enough to comprehend the Bible. Overall, there was a very small percentage of children attending school.

Starting in the 1820s, there is an uprise in educational reformers. Children were then taught about life lessons such as, hard work, honesty and forbid actions like gambling, drinking and laziness.

New education opportunities were brought to the children, but did not come as easily to the African Americans. The women who faced the same injustices as the African Americans, earned more respective roles in education through the 2nd Great Awakening. Compared to the African Americans who still struggle to find an education.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Education was seen as Sectionalism during the Antebellum period. Education had many controversies around it, and not all regions agreed on it. The south had different perspectives compared to the perspectives of the North.

WOMENS RIGHTS V. THE CULT OF DOMESTICITY

Cult of Domesticity
This limited the rights of women and only allowed the women powers / accessibility to the role of the housewife and mother at home. The women are supposed to apply Piety, Purity, Submissiveness and Domesticity in all relations.

SENECA FALLS

During the Seneca Falls convention, the main goal was to strengthen legal rights of women, by first starting to gain them property rights. This convention declared that all men and women are created equal.

This is a huge improvement compared to previous years where women were always obedient to the men. They were labeled as nothing but housewives and they had no rights in the work field of with ownership of property as well. They had no voice. But now they are making a change.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Women's rights v. Cult of Domesticity represents nationalism and sectionalism. The Americans had strong views towards the roles of the women. They believed that it should be a certain way for the women, and that this specific social order is what represented their loyalty towards America. When the women start to make a change, no one is able to accept this change, which can also result in sectionalism.

CRIMINALS

Before the Antebellum period, the treatment for criminals consisted of whippings and hangings. Also, the number of criminals was drastically increasing In previous times because of the increase of population and a wealth.

During the Antebellum period, no matter what the crime was, mild or major, that person would be put into jail. No matter if that person was a child, woman, man or critically ill. If you committed even the slighted bit of a crime, then they were thrown into jail.

In the jail houses, the inmates were put under horrible and brutal conditions. It was crowded, infested and there was a shortage of food given. Not only that, but there was also punishments such as whippings that was also still occurring.

Nationalism or
Sectionalism?
Criminal treatment represents Sectionalism. Not all individual states or regions had the same perspectives and treatment towards the criminals, which causes separation.

MENTAL ILLNESS

Previously before the Antebellum period, the ones who were defined as "mentally ill", where the witches and the demon possessions that they carried. The very first colonists were the ones to state this, and they were the ones to send the accused to either prisons, alms houses, or left untreated at home.

Reformatory v. Penitentiary
During the Antebellum period, specifically 1841, there was a sudden crusade for humane hospitals for the insane. Previously, the mentally ill were abused and mistreated in the prisons and alms houses. Then the concept of rehabilitation came into play.

Dorothea Dix
Dix along with many others, had fought for the rights of the mentally ill, stating that they needed better protection and rehabilitation. Dix had studied and observed the brutal treatment of the mentally ill, and reported it back to the Massachusetts state legislate, pleading for some kind of improvement. Her voice was heard and many improved conditions were mad towards the mentally ill.

Nationalism or Sectionalism?
Mental illness treatment represents Sectionalism. As well as with the criminal treatment, mental illness treatment had caused many controversy debates. Not all state agreed on how the mentally ill should be treated, which causes even more separation between the states and the regions.

These reform movements not only had a critical impact during the Antebellum period, but they continue to have significant meaning in the upcoming
Civil War.