The Reform Era: 1820-1860 S

The Reform Era: 1820-1860’s.

According to Webster’s dictionary, reform means to improve something that is wrong, corrupt or unsatisfactory. It also means to change to a better state. The leaders in the 19th century reform movement were hoping to fulfill this definition. They truly and whole-heartedly believed what they were doing was “right”. So, did their overall impact increase democratic ideals in America? Or did the impact of the reform movements actually mandate how to live thereby decreasing democracy in America? Below, I have divided the reform era into groups including: religion (including utopian communities), cultural movements, temperance, education, women’s rights and abolition. You will select a reformer, write a RESUME proving how they “bettered” (up for discussion) society. You may use a resume template. Additionally, you need to prepare for a “roundtable” discussion about your reformer-defending how significant hey were to this era. Make a name tag (I’d suggest “tent” from paper) that also includes a PRINTED picture of your reformer. You may dress in costume for additional credit.

RELIGION & UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES:

Notable reformers: Charles Finney, Timothy Dwight (NOT the former Iowa Hawkeye football player), Peter Cartwright, William Miller, Joseph Smith & Brigham Young, Mother Ann Lee, Robert Owen, John Humphrey Noyes A. Second great Awakening B. Millennialism C. Mormons D. Shakers E. New Harmony F. Oneidas G. Fourier Phalanxes

CULTURAL MOVEMENTS: Notable reformers: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, George Ripley, George Caleb Bingham, William S. Mount, Frederick Church, James Fenimore Cooper, Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Margaret Fuller A. Transcendentalism- B. On Civil Disobedience C. Brook Farm D. Hudson River School E. Impact of literature such has Last of the Mohicans, Deerslayer, Moby Dick, Scarlet Letter

TEMPERANCE: Notable reformers: Dr. Benjamin Rush, Lyman Beecher, Protestant Churches, Frances Willard, Mary Hunt, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Hayes A. Women’s Christian Temperance Union B. Impact of immigrants C. American Temperance Society

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: Notable reformers: Dorothea Dix, Thomas Gallaudet, Dr. Samuel Howe

A. Mental Hospitals B. Special Schools C. Auburn system

EDUCATION: Notable reformers: Horace Mann, William McGuffey, Mary Lyon

A. Free public education B. Small denominational colleges

WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT: Notable reformers: Sarah and Angelina Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Amelia Bloomer, Margaret Fuller A. Cult of domesticity B. Letter on the Condition of Women and the Equality of the Sexes C. Seneca Falls Convention and Declaration of Sentiments

ABOLITION: Notable reformers: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Grimke sisters, William Lloyd Garrison, David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Still, David Ruggles, Henry Garnet A. American Colonization Society B. The Liberator and American Antislavery Society C. Liberty Party D. The North Star