Religion and reform 1820-1860: The Relationship between the Women Rights and Abolitionist Movement - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages These reforms were fuelled by numerous societal factors such as urbanization, evangelical fervor, and lack of public participation in major events. Unattended issues led to the emergence of reformers such as the communitarians who wanted the government to address the issues, and individualists who articulated the visions that served as motivation for the reformers. The second awakening occurred during this period and was fuelled by the success of abolitionist movements. These movements aimed at addressing the ramifications of slavery and its subsequent eradication from the American society. Supported by the second awakening, the movements, which aimed at eliminating slavery and equal treatment of women in the American society, became successful (Digital History para.1-7). This essay is going to discuss the reforms that occurred during 1820-1860 and the relationship between women rights and abolitionist movements.
Discussion
Religion and Reform 1820-1860
The second awakening is one of the major religious reforms, which occurred during the aforementioned period. This religious revival was a reaction that was against the rational religious teachings, which dwelt on original sin and destiny. Individuals such as Timothy Dwight became famous for helping usher the awakening through campus revivals, which culminated in the emergence of evangelist preachers. In 1823, Charles Finney was able to spark numerous religious revivals in the city of New York whereby he appealed to the people by informing them that they would achieve salvation through hard work and faith. These religious dogmas led to the development of the Methodist and the Baptist religions. Religions such as 7th day Adventists was founded through claims that the end of the world was 1844, which made people receive salvation in large numbers. Hakim (2002) (pg43) indicates that Mormons was a religion, which was established in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The findings by Hakim (2002) (p.43) are furthered by Firkins (2000) ( p.88), whose book ‘Ralph Waldo Emerson’ highlights that transcendentalists such as Ralph W. Emerson and Henry Thoreau led people into believing in the inner self and God. This was through the experiments such as the one in which Thoreau lived in the forest for 24 months in an attempt to discover some truths concerning life. Numerous experiments were conducted as people wanted to create an ideal society. This is illuminated by the emergence of societies such as Fourier phalanxes, Shakers and New Harmony. According to Rogers (2010) (p.695), religious reforms came because of political beliefs, which had been formulated by individuals such as Andrew Jackson who established the Jacksonian democracy. The religious revivals led to the emergence of second great awakening in which changed religious beliefs across the American states. Political ideas evoked by the awakening led to the establishment of various institutions throughout the United States. These institutions were schools for deaf and blind, prisons, mental hospitals, which were established by the government through the relentless effort of humanitarian reformists. Social reform also occurred in an unprecedented scale. Reforms were made possible through the enactment of legislation concerning social issues such as the prohibition of alcohol in 1851. The awakening that occurred during 1820-1860 was responsible for the emergence of divisions within the society. These separations emerged from the separation of the moral beliefs of the inhabitants of the Western states. In the light of this, there emerged numerous activists and religious factions, which provided the people with leadership and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More