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Burbank, J. Maze. “Religious Revival in USA .” Public Domain, 1839. -
The Second Great Awakening had a focus on being able to turn away from sinful ways and bettering yourself through being Christian. This counters the previous ideals of the First Great Awakening that spoke of predestination (in which only a select few were chosen for salvation) and other Calvinist beliefs. Furthermore, the spread of religion had gone to enslaved people as well, something not previously encouraged before.
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Currier, Nathaniel. “A Lithograph by Nathaniel Currier Supporting the Temperance Movement.” The Library of Congress, 1846. -
During the 1810s, many people became dedicated to the idea of temperance, or essentially having self-restraint with alcohol and spirits. Women soon became the key members of this movement, as they were often the victims of alcohol abuse. During this time, temperance also became a large political issue as states grappled with different temperance laws to pass or overturn.
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Thoreau, Walden. “Life in the Woods.” Public Domain, 1854. -
In the 1820s, a new intellectual movement began to grow in the Northeast, known as Transcendentalism. The idea was that an individual could come to a better understanding of themselves or their environment, and they were very critical of mainstream culture. They encouraged people to think for themselves, rather than following a hive mind. Many notable leaders of the movement addressed social issues such as slavery or women's rights and often used transcendentalism to help justify their views.
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Warner, George Kendall. “Fredrick Douglass.” National Archives and Records Administration, 1879. -
Abolitionists had a radical view of slavery for the time— that being the completely removing slavery. They used moral arguments to convince people of the evils of slavery and to end it. However, many people didn't share similar views as they either relied on slave labor or were worried free slaves would only making finding jobs harder. Despite this, abolitionists were able to make waves and contribute to growing tensions that led to the Civil war.
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Public Domain. “Elizabeth Cady Stanton.” Wikipedia, 1880. -
Women had played a large role in past movements and reforms (such as temperance), and so they became inspired to start a movement of their own. A movement to fight for their own rights and equality. Many women of these women thought they were shackled by the inequalities they faced, and despite radical abolitionists fighting for racial equality, they still clung to traditional gender roles. This meant that more often than not, women would have to fight for their rights on their own.
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In 1848, the Women's Movement saw it's first bit of progress when 300 male and female feminists met at the Seneca Fall Convention to discuss women's rights. At this convention, they were able to draft the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments in which women established their rights. This was the first of many meetings to discuss women's rights and was the first step towards progress.