Second Great Awakening: Rise of American Nationalism, and Protestant Denominations

During the presidency of Andrew Jackson and the years leading up to the civil war, Americans entered an era of instability and slowly transitioning from a young, naive country to one with strong democratic ideals which influenced a generation of individual and moral discovery. Many Americans were attempting to create change in their society. They were greatly guided by the Second Great Awakening, the rise of American Nationalism, and the increase of Protestant denominations. Not everyone achieved their reform goals during this period, but through cultural, educational, and behavioral movements, the young nation increased its political prosperity and made progress in all aspects of American life. The reform movements from 1825 to 1855 expanded democratic ideals which would create unforeseen impacts for decades to come.

Several reform movements that were developed over this 30-year period expanded the democratic ideals of tolerance and equality. The Common School Reform was one of many that sought to improve the quality of life for everyday Americans. Led by Horace Mann, it aimed to create a public education system that was available to all children so they would have access to endless knowledge and a chance at success. Mann was also a strong believer of teacher training programs, as well as secondary education for women. The North was very open to this idea and opened numerous schools and women’s colleges. The South, on the other hand, fell behind in educational opportunities to spread liberty. As a result, education became limited to the sons of plantation owners, much to Mann’s dismay. Mann believed that the state had a responsibility to support the growth of its citizens and therefore turn these movements into ideals of the country. The idea that public education should be available to everyone expanded the way people thought of education. Equal opportunities between genders and social standings influenced the standards that shaped our nation and expanded education as a whole over many years across society. It is also noteworthy that the Rise of American Nationalism (whether it be intellectual or emotional) had a profound impact on this reform. Since people had a strong sense of support for their nation’s interests, they wanted to support anything that would improve intellectual nationalism and help everyone feel like a big family. To do that, the common man had to feel equal to his socially-advanced counterpart. This education reform gave women the confidence and knowledge to stand up for what they believed in, and ultimately lead to the women's suffrage movement, and eventually the temperance movement.

The Women's Suffrage Movement of 1848 was a crucial turning point in women’s rights and equal treatment between genders, which lead to the diffusion of the idea that all people should be treated equally and receive equal privileges. The prominent figures in the women's suffrage movement include William Lloyd Garrison and Catherine Beecher. While these two important people had the same general beliefs, they had differing opinions on how to get more respect and rights for women. Catherine Beecher believed that women should dominate the home-sphere as professionals; masters of the domestic arts. She still believed that women should stay home and perfect their talents there, rather than in the workplace. On the other end of the spectrum, William Lloyd Garrison believed that women should be allowed to participate in the Anti-Slavery Society and aimed to bring light to the lack of legal rights that women possessed. American society believed that women represented the “moral” structure of the family, while men represented the public sphere and would therefore be granted the right to vote over women. The Seneca Falls Convention was the grand basis for attaining the civil, social, political, and religious rights of women. At the convention, women insisted that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which rightfully belong to them. This reform movement had lasting effects on women, young and old, for generations. It changed the current democratic ideal that women should stay at home and take care of the children to one that viewed a woman as her own person, one who should be taken seriously. This lead to the expansion of the reform movement because women all over the country agreed to the injustice they had suffered needed to change. It united the women of the nation and spread like wildfire from town to town. The women’s suffrage movement is commonly compared to the colonists’ struggle for independence against Great Britain and was also greatly influenced by the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States, which experienced a feminization of religion in both church membership and theology. Middle-class women found increasing control over their spiritual beliefs which increased their confidence in themselves and their movement. Thus, were it not for the Second Great Awakening, the suppressed women of America might not have found the courage to spread their ideas across the country and take action against their unfair limits.

Lastly, the temperance movement spread the ideal across young America that alcohol is bad and all forms of alcohol should be in moderation or complete abstinence. This movement was mainly filled with women and their children who knew all too well the effects that unchecked drinking had on their families. The temperance reform was the largest and most successful of the reform movements in these decades thanks in large part to the “American Society for the Promotion of Temperance” and the pledge of abstinence that was promoted by preachers at the beginning of the 1800s. Some notable figures that are associated with the U.S. temperance movement are Susan B. Anthony and Lyman Beecher both of which affected government regulation, as well as the instruction and study of alcoholism. The spectrum of temperance ranged from the teetotalers who wanted complete abstinence from all alcohol to the opposition who opposed temperance of any kind and any sort of government regulation on alcohol. The temperance act was influenced by Protestant denominations by determining how extreme different types of religion were about alcohol. Protestants reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of supremacy but disagree among themselves regarding the real presence of Christ. Protestant denominations, such as Baptists and Methodists, swelled their ranks as Americans became more accustomed to them and learned about their ideals and their stances on controversial topics like abolition, women’s rights, and slavery. In the end, the temperance act spread the democratic ideal of moderation with alcohol and abstinence, which was the first step towards prohibition many years in the future. This movement spread so far and so fast because it was something people were very passionate about. If it’s one thing people care about, it is their alcohol, or more specifically, when their alcohol is under threat of being taken away.

The reform movements of the early and mid-19th century may not have achieved full liberties and rights for all Americans, but it did increase the understanding of democratic ideals. The reform movements throughout this era paved the way for events and circumstances which would eventually lead to society demanding equality for every American.