Tuesday, December 1, 2009
April 9: "Perfecting the Nation and the World"
What efforts fell under the penumbra of "reform" during the early republic? Do any of these seem counter-productive to each other? Do you think individuals found themselves working for a variety of reform groups? What do you make of Ryan's interpretation of a gendered, middle-class reform phenomenon? And of Johnson's depiction of varying definitions of perfection?
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Many efforts fell under the title of “reform” during the early 19th century. Included but not limited to are education reforms, temperance reforms, land and political reforms, women’s rights movements, and sexual reforms. Figureheads in these movements include Lyman Beecher, Horace Mann, and Sylvester Graham. However, it was women who spearheaded the reform movements of the early 19th century. Women like Dorothea Dix and Elizabeth Stanton who were tired of watching men squander with the task of reforming those less fortunate in society, including but once again not limited to, women, the insane, and slaves. The only two reform movements could be viewed through a particular scope as counter-productive are the education and the religious movement. However this is through 21st century perspective where the two do not blend as well as they did back then. Most likely education was centered on religion and boys and girls learned to read by reading scripture or write by replicated religious tales. Individuals had to find themselves working for multiple reform groups because most of them were so interconnected. Education reform tied into women’s rights if girls were to learn in schools and women were to teach in them. The Temperance Movement correlated directly with women’s rights and educational reform. After sipping on too much of grandpa’s cough medicine most men found themselves in tussles with their wives and children, enter women’s rights and education. Education encouraged men to practice time-discipline and also occupy themselves with things other than a bottle. Also women’s rights allowed women more freedom to leave an unruly man and still maintain their dignity.
ReplyDeleteMary Ryan examines the establishment of different reform movements led by women of all groups (at the time). The morality exuding from these reform movements was a direct result of the extent these reform groups were involved. It was hard to avoid them to be honest, and therefore men for the most part had to conform to them. The Clinton society claimed they would discount all men reputed to be licentious, much like an excommunication from the church. With these movements led by women it seemed as if the old order of households was crumbling, giving rise to a new more egalitarian home. “The very walls of the homes of Utica appeared to break open as all ages, both genders, and a range of occupations streamed out of the reformers halls,” writes Ryan.
First of all Sam Patch is a 19th century Steve-O, hell bent on becoming infamous by any means necessary. Was Johnson judging his 70-foot majestic dive from atop a cliff in Passaic Falls, probably not. Should this have been his subtitle of “Declaring Perfection”, of course. What style and grace this young solitary, child-beating alcoholic had with his perfect entry into the river. On a more serious note, Johnson illustrates two sides of perfection, the natural and the man-made. Timothy Crane took natural beauty and made basically a theme park, claiming that only a “horror stricken wanderer” would enter the area prior to its improvements. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, some like Crane believe by mechanically altering nature you are perfecting it, others think it should stay the way it is and use it as public grounds. Sam Patch thinks perfection if a bottle of whiskey and a 70-foot swan dive. To each his own.
Disparate and unrelated movements were the objects of reform in the quarter 1800’s. The subjects of redress included everything from women’s rights and temperance to institutional changes in education, insane asylums, land distribution and then the curveball sexual reform. It seems to bizarre to us today to include sexual reform in this list, but I guess Graham and his cohorts genuinely believed they were accomplishing something worthwhile with all of their nonsense.
ReplyDeleteAs for their relations with one another they don’t seem to contradict one another (unless you include the rather outlandish sexual reforms as an assault on education). The scope of the temperance movement limited women within the context of cult of domesticity and readily appealed to that distinction in order to obtain their goals. Education reforms seem to be the key to much of this, as better education would lead presumably to push for more women’s rights, an understanding of the need for asylum for the insane, an understanding of the value of education, and so on. They all have their roots in the “can-do” (for short) of the religious revivals, and not unlike the revivals women were a major driving force in them. Ryan’s catalogue of women’s groups, combined with fact that Dorothea Dix and Elizabeth Stanton led major reform movements, seem to support this assertion fairly strongly. From Ryan’s piece it seems like the tide of reform was irresistible in Utica, as women literally excommunicated men deemed liscentious (which meant, of course, that they did not support the reform movement, borrowing on the classic religious tactic of coercing followers).
What is odd is the contradiction between the female-dominated temperance movement and the Women’s Rights movement. Temperance reformers readily accepted the cult of domesticity for their own reasons, which was like a white flag of surrender for the Women’s Rights reformers. Perhaps the notion of female equality was just too radical for Americans at the time, and not as immediate as a concern as rampant drunkenness and ignorance.
Not all movements had noble goals however, and exempting the absurd “sexual reform” movement the “anti-Popists” were more akin to reactionaries than radicals. Their leader’s treatise essentially equates the influence of the Pope over Catholics (in America, the Irish) as pure despotism, similar to the worst monarchies in Europe that would undermine the principles dear to Americans. These “anti-Popists” as they fancied themselves were simply unhappy with the swelling Irish population. Xenophobic may be too much to describe them, but they fit very neatly with groups today who fear a fast growing minority within the country. These men (possinbly some women) could hardly be deemed reformers.
It is easy to see how many of these people worked for multiple groups, as many of their goals reinforced each other. Education would lead to less drinking, which would strenghten the temperance movement, and more education also would beget more education and foster an awareness of the need for things like asylums and eventually Women’s Rights.
Ryan’s interpretation appears feasible to me. The urge to perfect and protect that was so powerful in the revivals blended through to helo strengthen in an odd way the cult of domesticity, bringing about a reform that stalled change. This seems like the very type of reform older Americans uncomfortable with change would seek to implement.
Frankly, I had to re-read Johnson to make sure he had a point. A drunk guy jumping off a cliff to one-up someone he is jealous of is really not as illuminating as the author suggests. Obviously the elite and the poorer classes have different ideas about quality (lacrosse and golf vs. football and baseball) but this was not the way to explain it. Basically, those who didn’t ride the market let Crane didn’t see the value of altering their free roaming land like Crane did, since they valued different aspects of the property.
Understanding “reform” during the early republic is a little trickier than a face value perception. There were a number of reform movements. There was a temperance movement to try to curb excessive drinking; the Seneca Falls conference of 1848 professed women’s rights and the right to suffrage; there was a movement, particularly in the north, to expand the institution of public education; there were improvements in mental health as states adopted mental asylums. Some of these reforms hold up today as legitimate, some, like “sexual reform,” do not.
ReplyDeleteMany of these reforms worked in tandem. Most of the reforms were inspired by some sort of moral sense. The second great awakening made the country a more religious and moral country. America of the Revolution drank tremendous volumes, had sex often and had a moderate deference for religion. The second great awakening shook all of this up. From revivals to state legislatures, reforms and laws were passed. Some of these reforms are good and make sense. Improvements in asylums is a good thing, as is the beginning of the women’s movement and a dedication to public education. But some of these reforms that came from the moral rightness of the second great awakening do not hold up to contemporary standards. The “sexual reforms” proposed by Graham for instance are pretty ridiculous. In regards to the temperance movement, it would reach it’s culmination in the first part of the 20th century with total and complete prohibition of alcohol, but the country learned the futility of that effort and repealed the measure. I think many of these advocates for reform could have and would have worked with other reforms. Due to their inceptions being rooted in morality of the second great awakening, the spirit of many of these reforms is the same, therefore it make sense that people would transcend their own movements.
Reform movements often come from middle classes, and Ryan writes about how middle class women played a leading role in reform efforts, especially temperance. This makes sense and is consistent with other reform movements across time and geography. Women, who still largely accepted their gender roles ascribed to them by men, understood their place as keeping a safe home and a comfortable living environment. Alcohol, or the excessive abuse of alcohol, made this very difficult for women, especially drunk husbands and strangers on the street. In many ways then it was a woman’s duty to work against alcohol and its abuse through the temperance movement. Additionally, most of the reforms were started from the spirit of the church, and many women were engaged in the church, so their interests were ushered into the public sphere. Johnson looks at “perfectionism” in the early republic and its affects. Perfectionism is significant because of the degrees of the reforms. Some of the “reforms” went too far in the pursuit of perfection, and wound up doing more harm than good.
The early republic reform movements were definitely not few and far between. The Second Great Awakening had caused domino effects in reform movements throughout the country. These movements other than the religion reform included, the Temperance movement, Asylum reform, Education reform, social reform, sexual reform, women’s rights, and in a lot of ways some moral reforms. Women became the leaders in reform and began to change the way society viewed women. The reforms are not counter- productive to each other. If anything they help each other grow and expand. They are all interconnected and their roots are connected to the Second Great Awakening. The temperance movement got started by women who believed that society needed to be reformed away from abusive men and towards better relationships between men and women. This was connected to woman’s rights because they realized they could lead and began advocating that they knew what was right for society. Temperance reform was also connected to sexual reform because Sylvester Graham believed things like masturbation and alcohol were responsible for bad health and society and that if they did not take place everyone would be 100 % healthy. Asylum reform was connected to Graham because his theories were tested on the inhabitants of the asylums in the country. Educational reform was connected to almost everything because it was all for the good of the future children of society. In most every reform movement women seemed to have some of the largest roles if not the largest roles. They were interconnected throughout all of these reforms. They rallied for laws that helped protect the Sabbath and became avid advocates for laws that protected the moralities of society and the children. They were all able to work with any reform almost because every reform that they got people to attach to they were most likely able to get them become interested in another reform. Ryan's interpretation of a gendered, middle-class reform phenomenon was pretty much dead on. It was the northern women’s hard work and pushiness that allowed all these reforms to boom and grab hold on to the people of this time! These middle class reformation movement created a modern society that can still in some ways been seen today. They wanted to protect the children and girls from moral impurities and did so with the abolition movement of alcohol. If they could take way alcohol men and boys would be more pure and treat women with more respect. There would be less premarital sex and less babies born out of wedlock. Ryan really focuses on how society began to loose its patriarchal title and become much more matriarchal. The views of women began to change in the north with the arrival of the Second Great Awakening. It was almost like they awakened and decided that society needed help becoming more moral and perfect. Johnsons reading really confused me. I did not really get or understand the point. It seemed all jumbled and messy and there was probably a hidden meaning but I really did not get it.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear from chapter twelve that the Early Republic was awash with reformers who took on a wide range of issues. Women also played a huge role in many of these movements, and often formed their own societies as Mary P. Ryan illustrates in her essay. Source one deals with the Temperance Movement and its attempts to link the destructive nature of the indulgence in alcohol specifically with its affects on family life and the industriousness of the nation’s work force. Another developing movement in the first half of the nineteenth century was the Women’s Rights Movement which accumulated in the Seneca Fall’s Conference of 1848. The meeting’s “Declaration of Sentiments,” which uses language closely mirroring that of the Declaration of Independence, is presented in source two. Sources three and four display a course of anti-Catholic sentiment that was in part fostered by the Second Great Awakening. Samuel F. B. Morse calls for a coming together of other denominations to use political means to fight the “Popery.” Also, source four shows a flyer which tells of the burning of a convent. Two very positive reform movements are given voice in sources five and six. Horace Mann argues for an extensive public education system and outlines the arguments against his proposal. Interestingly, the arguments he presents against his own proposal mirror much of the anti-health care arguments in the present day. Dorothea Dix then illustrates her crusade for the improvement in the country’s mental health facilities in a petition the state of New Jersey in which she claims the state has an increasing problem with mental health cases and a deteriorating infrastructure to deal with them. Source seven presents the somewhat insane ideas of Sylvester Graham who rages against sexual promiscuity and especially masturbation claiming that the latter destroys the human tissue. Lastly, source eight shows the creativity of the political scene with the writings of George Henry Evans who proposed mass land redistribution.
ReplyDeleteThe two scholarly essays focus on developments in the northeastern United States, in what was known as the “Burnt Over District” during the period of the Second Great Awakening. Mary P. Ryan’s essay conforms nicely with the work of Nancy F. Cott in that both thresh out the importance of women’s participation in the reform movements of the day. Ryan argues that the women’s societies in Utica, New York we quite prevalent and that they first began to take up the issue of moral reforms such as prostitution reform. Much like Cott, Ryan shows that these women’s societies placed the blame largely on men’s inability to control their urges and raise stable families that drove many young women to prostitution. Ryan’s essay shows that often these societies turned to exposing the men who visited the prostitution in order to curtail the practice. Naturally, these women’s groups then began to adopt the banner of the Temperance Movement. Often, these maternal associations would take the lead promoting Temperance as a way to promote healthier families. Finally, Paul E. Johnson’s essay focuses on developments in the town of Paterson, New Jersey in which a local man decided to transform a former public (although actually private) recreation area, into a privately owned well to do garden park. Johnson illustrates how the spirit of perfection had an alienating affect on large parts of Early Republic society.
As parts of America were changing into more urban, closely condensed areas of living, the people were beginning to see changes in life that had to be met with adjustment in order for society not to implode on itself. Life was being compartmentalized into work and home. This led to the increasing escapism from work while retreating at home. Alcohol becomes abusive and the abuse itself becomes under attack at this time as a leader in the vices of the country. As the youth were given more opportunity to mingle with peers, temptations to step outside of moral guidelines were tested. The women of the time were beginning to see the changes in youth and rises in promiscuity, possibly from a lack of direct parental influence. The women’s reform, the land reform, and the asylum reform all struck me as inspiring because these people were seeing through the propaganda of societal issues and presenting their own personal concerns for the direction of the nation. As expressed in the asylum reform, there was a level of compassion for those being dealt a bad hand, and call to society to help, not institutionalize a program. The women’s reform was powerful, but now powerful enough leaving the women still unable to vote. Although the steps taken at this time were drastic for the contemporary, these are steps that mankind can take at any moment, all it needs is the right leverage. I believe that’s what these reformers of good heart sought was leverage. Pointing out in the women’s reform declaration, they knew they would be ridiculed, but the issue was far more important and that importance would eventually surface. I think the religious reforms, although possibly helping with alcohol, I feel like is mostly counterproductive. As Morse puts it, this type of individualism at the top, arises for massive egos, and reform unimagined by the optimistic. This has always been a recipe for regression of rights. I think Ryan does a fairly good job of assessing the power of women discretely. It was a tough battle to fight for rights inside of this system but women who knew what they were doing were able to get things done from the inside which is impressive in a system which seems to guard the opposite sex’s power from the women. Johnson’s essay I feel like is a 19th century resort town gone wrong. These people were definitely upset with the way their area had changed into this country club type living. Of course the locals would be upset. Their oasis had been robbed by those who felt superiority among their fellow citizens. Most people left out would eventually act out if this seemed too outrageous. In my mind his idea of perfection gave him what he deserved.
ReplyDeleteMany different efforts fell under the penumbra of "reform" during the early republic. One that had some of the most lasting effects was prohibition. In the theological crusade against drunkenness, the deep-seated American hatred of alcohol was born. In many ways, this set American apart from much of the world in terms of alcohol liberties. Another important effort was the push for public schooling. Although not the first place to do it and perhaps not the best do have done it, America's public school system finds its roots in this period of reform in the early republic. At the same time there was asylum and prison reform beginning to awaken to its eventual stringent definitions of 'cruel and unusual punishment.' Most important of all (at least to 51% of the population), is the beginnings of feminism in the early republic. Seneca Falls occurred during this time period, and after that point feminism slowly began to grow into the movement that was eventually realized in the twentieth century. Yet another item under the umbrella would be the obvious transition from referring to slavery as a "peculiar institution" to "enslavement." This transition alone gives a great deal of insight into the rise of the conflict between planters and abolitionists right after the era of the early republic.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, many efforts of this time period worked against each other. Many Christian interpretations of morality commanded women to conserve their public experiences and opportunities. With the cult of domesticity on the rise due to conservative Christian ideals, many found that feminism was hindered by this (as Nancy Cott would argue). At the same time, the principals of prohibition (seated in Christian interpretation of morality) indirectly worked against feminism and abolition, since their opposition was firmly founded within many southern Christian ministries.
Also making this situation more confusing was the fact that many people who supported one effort of reform often would be passionately supporting other sectors of reform as well. For instance, many women supported abolition efforts across the country since slavery seemed somewhat familiar to many women. Unfortunately, African-American men did not seem to return the efforts as quickly. An individual that felt this way might be spurred on by their religious opinions (which would have been due to the Second Great Awakening, yet another effort for reform in the early republic).
Ryan's interpretation of this gendered, middle-class Utican middle-class reform phenomenon seems to be sound. Women were/are often the first to step up to the plate and make a stand for reform, so it is no surprise that they were already highly involved with reform movements in the 1820's and 1830's. Since these women were able to lay the groundwork for reform movement expansion ten to twenty years before the temperance movement even began, it is no surprise they were heavily involved.
There were many “reforms” taking place during the early republic. One of those reforms was the Temperance movement. Beecher claims that American’s love of alcohol is creating many problems within society. One of the problems that Beecher lists is the conflicts that arise in the home from drinking and that many families have “been ruined forever (p.357).” Beecher spends a good amount of time talking about the negative influences that intemperance has on industry. The lazy drunkards did not want to work and even if they did their bodies were damaged so badly by alcohol abuse that they could not keep a job. Beecher also blames intemperance for higher taxes because the industrious people of society have to pay taxes to keep up the poor-houses. I thought it was interesting that Beecher placed such a huge emphasis on temperance that he said it could potentially tear down the country and “hang upon out experiment of civil liberty (p.357).” Beecher advocated that alcohol should not be sold in America. Another reform starting up during the early republic was the reform for women’s rights. The Declaration of Seneca Falls was written very directly from the Declaration of Independence but with a few changes such as “that all men and women are created equal (p.359).” The Seneca Falls Declaration gives many grievances that women have with man and one that was surprising, “he has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men- both natives and foreigners (p.359).” I guess the cult of domesticity and the ideas about the virtues of women that came after the Market Revolution still hold true today because the previous quote to me seems very racist and mean for a woman to write. Most of the grievances deal with representation within the government and law, property rights, and the constraints of marriage. When it comes to education reform it seems that Horace Mann is more concerned with making it impossible to fully own land. Like many reforms of past and present, personal liberties and property are taken away from the American people for the sake of some greater cause. Mann brings up the issue of “whether any man has such an indefeasible title to his estate” but does not answer the question based on rights or law; instead Mann pulls on the heart strings of the American people by saying that every child has the right to an education and blah blah blah. By mixing property taxes with education the government made sure that no person could ever own their land out right. I am sure that there were quite a few Americans that were not pleased with this notion but if they opposed it then they opposed education for all children. And if they oppose such a great idea then they must love the devil or hate children. To the common people education reform would provide every child with an education but education reform for the government was a way to make sure no one could fully own their property. It is much like the recent health care bill; the health care bill is unconstitutional and forces every American to buy a good, a marketable item and imposes on the liberty of every person in America. But with the stripping away of a personal liberty is concealed under the great idea that health care is a right and anyone opposed to the heath care bill is a baby killing, geriatric hating, poverty hating person. It seems that every time the government comes up with a new “right” of the people some part of the people’s liberty is taken away. There were multiple reforms going on during this time, the few I have mentioned, and also asylum reform, sex reforms, and land reforms are the others mentioned in MPER. All of the reforms wanted to make America better by purifying and advancing society.
ReplyDeleteThe Second Great Awakening in the United States brought Christianity and Christian values to the forefront of American society, spawning a series of new reform movements which included, but was not limited to, advocating for temperance, women’s rights, land reform, education and public schooling, asylum reform, and restraints on sexuality. All of these movements seemed to be founded on religious principles that stressed the importance of morality and promised believers that they would find salvation in the afterlife if they did good, charitable work over the course of their lifetime. Whether early republicans chose to participate in one, many, or no reform movements, religious sentiments resonate in many of the speeches given by nineteenth-century reformers, like Dorothea Dix, who pressed for asylum reform in front of the New Jersey legislature in 1845: “I come to ask justice of the Legislature of New Jersey, for those who, in the providence of God, are incapable of pleading their own cause, and of claiming redress for their own grievances,” (Wilentz 367). “In the providence of God” Dix argued on behalf of those who were unable to speak for themselves. Dix used asylum patients’ helplessness to raise political and public support to address the inadequate living conditions that many patients suffered from. The temperance movement was another movement deeply rooted in religious fervor. Lyman Beecher, for instance, preached in 1826 that: “Intemperance is the sin of our land, and, with our boundless prosperity, is coming in upon us like a flood; and if anything shall defeat the hopes of the world, which hang upon our experiment of civil liberty, it is that river of fire, which is rolling through the land, destroying the vital air, and extending around an atmosphere of death,” (Wilentz 357). For Beecher, and no doubt many other American Christians who had been moved by the rhetoric of the Second Great Awakening, temperance was the only way to save the world from utter collapse and disaster.
ReplyDeleteHistorians Mary P. Ryan and Paul Johnson both take sides on the development and structure of reform movements during the early republic. Ryan argues, in particular, that moral reform in the early republic was led predominantly by middle-class women, who were driven by their sense of morality and their religious beliefs to form a series of women’s social reform associations in the town of Utica, New York, and Oneida Country. These associations became networking opportunities for women to put their domestic knowledge and experience as a wife, mother, and Christian to work outside of their homes. For instance, “The members of the Female Moral Reform Society began by adapting traditional family and social forms to their reform purposes. They often worked within the home economy and the private social circle,” (Wilentz 373). There is no doubt, as Ryan argues, that women’s domestic and maternal roles propelled them more than other social groups to feel some attachment to reform movements and the need to improve society as a whole and take care of the individuals around them. Johnson also looks at early reform attempts to “perfect” society. In 1827, Timothy Crane of Paterson, New Jersey, took it upon himself to create “a commercial pleasure garden” intended to increase the beauty and enjoyment of his community. For a small charge, visitors could wander the garden and escape from the woes of city and industrial life. There were restrictions, however, on who could visit the Forest Garden: “In short, the Forest Garden was reserved for sober, decorous people who stayed on the walkways and out of the bushes, who conversed politely over brandy and never got drunk, and who contemplated trees without wanting to climb them,” (Wilentz 381). As Johnson points out, Crane’s restrictions and list of rules were not always respected or welcomed, but his architectural vision transformed the community of Paterson.
After 1828, America was reforming not only religiously but also socially. This was much more than the second great awakening. However the reformation during this time was fueled by what the second great awakening had caused. These movements to reform society included alcoholic temperance, sexual and social reformation, asylum (which meant more than just a “crazy house”) and the reformation that still should be at the top of the list for any college student, educational reformation. Of course, this reformation didn’t come without resistance. The question is who was at the top of the reformation? The answer is women. Women were able to make a profound impact on the reformation even though women were not treated with equality in society and wouldn’t until the next century. Each part of the new nation would experience some type of the second great awakening but the sectional differences in the reformation was astounding. The north was a primary component of the reformation while the south would always have slavery on their minds and anything that threatened that institution would prove to be detrimental to the region. The south was willing to do anything to protect slavery and ignoring some of the reformation was no surprise. Seneca Falls took place in New York on 1848 which got the attention of most Americans about women’s rights. America at this time was a nation of drunkards, consuming an extreme amount of alcohol every single day. Lyman Beecher lectures about temperance and the “evil habit” of drinking constantly. Women had big responsibility during this time, many preachers thought that the best way to get a family into church was to get the mother involved first and the rest of the family would soon follow. The women who attended Seneca Falls read out their constitution, modeled closely to the United States Constitution. “We hold these truths to be self-evident: all men and WOMEN are created equal” which was a direct shot to the state legislatures and federal officials to start treating women with equality. Throughout their constitution, the women constantly refer to “he” does certain things by trying to prove female inferiority but the women at Seneca Falls are tying to spark a fire and prove that a woman is a mans equal. Other reforms lead by men such as, Sylvester Graham definitely had its resistance. He believed that bad health could be related back to masturbation. Public Schooling was a major difference in this reform. The north had crowded classrooms and the south was even worse. If a child wanted to get educated in the south, he or she had to be personally tutored or sent else where to learn. The educational reform was in my opinion the most needed act of reformation. Historians Paul Johnson and Mary Ryan explain in their essays about the structural form of the reformation. Mary Ryan agrees that the female reformers were the basis of the reformation. She also explains how “occupational, neighborhood, ethnic, or religious affiliations affected the temperance movement.” Johnson explains about a man named Timothy Crane who would open up a garden for visitors who wanted to escape away from their sinful world. Johnson tried to perfect as much of the world as he could but most importantly he started with his garden which lead to “a place of rational amusement.”
ReplyDeleteReform took many shapes during the Early Republic. Many reform efforts had their roots in religion and specifically the second Great Awakening where this ideal of perfection got its start. From this we see reforms based on social and scientific improvements, as well as other religious reforms as well in trying to obtain perfection. The temperance movement aimed at curbing excessive drinking which became a problem during the Early Republic. This movement cut down on the amount of abuse within a household, which made for a happier household. The women’s suffrage movement got it’s start during this time at the Seneca Falls convention, and although it would be until much later that they achieved their ultimate goal, it was at this time that the movement started to gain some momentum. These reforms and others had the intent of getting us closer to perfection, and some would argue achieved it, but other movements under the guise of reform did more harm than good. One such reform is the Nativist reform, which was a reactionary effort against Catholic immigrants who they saw as organizing politically under the name of “Popery.” This movement led to violence and attacks on Catholic institutions such as Convents. Other movements dealt with proper diets and even sexual inhibitions, and although these reformers may have been misinformed or ignorant, it was their belief that they were helping humanity with these changes. Mary Ryan examines the large number of women involved in these reform movements. Women’s natural morality was a perfect fit in many of these reform movements which sought to achieve a perfect society. With the increasing number of women getting involved in these movements, we see a shift in a woman’s influence from being restricted to just the home, to now being out in public, and this shift is significant because it starts to open up more and more opportunities for women as the century goes on. Johnson examines this ideal of perfection which dominated the reform movements. Timothy Crane was an entrepreneur who wanted to make his town a little more pleasing with a nice garden for it to enjoy, but on the grand opening, a mill worker named Sam Patch stole the show when he jumped off the cliff into the water below. The town cheered for Patch for they saw Crane’s “perfect” garden as an outrage and a stealing of what was once public land than Crane is using for his own personal gain.
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ReplyDeleteReform efforts in the early republic were as plentiful, if not more, than they are in modern America. While some of the efforts, such as having a public school system, may seem commonplace to the 21st century reader, it is worth noting that many of these efforts are still being argued over today. Throughout our lectures and this week’s readings, it was interesting to notice the progress made or even success of many of these reform efforts, such as at least having a public school system or ending slavery. It was also quite poignant to notice many of the issues that are still being protested over two hundred years after they began. Since the early republic provided many citizens with a new found freedom to speak or think as they wanted, platforms were given to ideas that seem laughable at best. Efforts as bizarre as fighting the “chronic spread of masturbation” among some citizens took hold. This particular effort, as we learned in lecture, enforced a strict bland diet to rid the body of this disease.
ReplyDeleteI do think there were a number of individuals who found themselves working to support more than one of these reform movements. One prime example is Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Ms. Stanton was originally an abolitionist who began turning her eye more toward the injustices toward women in the early republic. Many early women’s leaders were also involved in the temperance movement to make drinking illegal in America. Because of the effects of religion, many followers felt the need to do all they could to make the world better. The influence of religion in America was growing rapidly because of the heavy influences from the camp meetings and revivals. It is entirely possible to link the rise of many of these movements can be traced to the advancement of Evangelical Christianity. In her writing, Ryan pushed for the idea that women were central to each of these movements. As we learned in lecture, one of the popular reasons that women were so drawn to these movements was because it provided them with a place outside of the home were they could interact with friends and attain leadership roles. Ryan believes that the maternal roles of women enabled the movement to advance more by portraying a familial image. I thought the facts that Ryan gave concerning the loss of a patriarchal image were interesting for the reason that this loss of image was simply because of the women leaving the house. Johnson’s writing related his message of Timothy Crane trying to create a utopian environment in his garden to escape the sins of the world. I found the religious movement toward a more conservative society, like Crane, Dr. Graham, and Dr. Kellogg, very interesting considering that on one hand they were pushing a conservative societal viewpoint yet were increasing women working and being involved outside of the home. To look at these movements individually would significantly hinder the ability to grasp the effects of each movement working together and how they affected the early republic.
With the stabilization of the democratic republic in the United States around the 1830s came new ideas of culture. People had always believed in hard-work and it seemed too many that with a lagging collective morality, work ethic began to be on the outs. Many in the free states had already embraced the idea of abolition and their state governments had made it illegal and it seemed inevitable at the time to reformers that slavery would eventually be made illegal by the national government. Since it was being debated in Congress and political power was constantly shifting toward an industrialized North, it was a reasonable belief to be had that Congress would eventually ban the peculiar institution. Seeing alcohol as the major cause behind domestic abuses, injuries, and unemployment many progressive minded men and women (mainly in the North) thought that temperance would be the best way to solve those problems. Ryan’s essay puts the idea of temperance down and combines it with women’s rights movements. With the rise of commercial capitalism, people in large and medium sized industrial cities in the North looked for societies outside those meetings provided by the churches and the cities to organize their thoughts into a unified voice. Many of these women’s organizations Ryan described such as a Maternal Society met to discuss women’s issues. One of the major issues was the alcohol problem and these societies (not only one’s compromised of women, but adolescent and workingmen’s societies as well) worked towards temperance which in turn, they thought, would end other wretchedness that seemed to be a growing problem. Or maybe, after the market and transportation revolution, information was relayed faster and thereby more negative news stories from farther away that portrayed alcohol as a cause for violence were more readily available. Whatever the reasons were, society was changing, urban centers were growing and for the first time in American history a shift began. People were slowly moving into cities such as New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago looking for better paying employment. With that came demands for government services that many Jeffersonians would consider big-government and unrepublican. Examples of these new services were Horace Mann’s urging states to fund public schools by saying “if parents either cannot or will not supply the infant’s wants…the government having assumed to itself the ultimate control of all property—is bound to step in and fill the parent’s place.” This is one of the first true socialistic principles, even though that term would not be used to describe government services to the public for decades to come. Horace Mann was advocating Adams-like principles more than twenty years after Americans rejected Adams’ ideas and put small-government Jackson in office. Another example of the demand for government social reform was Dorothea Dix’s Petitions to the states for the reform of the insane asylums. In changing the subject away from government reform specifically, other types of reform and culture shifts were occurring. Paul Johnson’s essay looks like it doesn’t belong that well in the section about perfecting the world, but a closer look reveals that it does. Johnson’s example of the Forest Garden in Paterson, NJ, illustrates the division and hostility that existed between the working class and the new bourgeoisie. Crane tried to improve an area of town by making it into a park with a bar and restaurant, the working citizens of Paterson saw it as an exclusionary tactic. They were no longer welcome, and they did all they could to make that known to Crane until he finally lost the property to his creditors. The development of working class Americans was crucial not only to the new types of family and social structure that was beginning to emerge in the 1830s; but also to America’s future political landscape. The workingmen would eventually have their voices heard in the Progressive Era of the early 20th century.
ReplyDeleteDuring the early stages of the republic, there were many things that needed changing. As with any new country trying to perfect it’s ways it had run in to numerous problems. When it came to perfecting this nation many paths diverged greatly from each other. Problems such as equality for both men and women, issues with public schooling, a massive change on religious views and freedoms, issues with sexuality what was right and what was wrong, and of course probably the one greatest reform of the day temperance.
ReplyDeleteMany of these issues went hand in hand America during this time was to put it bluntly almost filled with alcoholics. The average American drank a pint of whiskey a day, to say that alcohol may have been getting in the way of improving this nation of ours would be a great understatement, but where should the line be drawn how much was too much, should drinking be banned all together? Other great issues would be crossroads such as the equality of women. Should women have the same rights as men, should they be able to vote and let their voices be heard? Although women always were a key part of the family why should they be considered important enough to have a choice and stand for change. What was next if women could be equal, when would the time come for equality for all. If women can gain there place as equals, would people then fight for the equality of all including slaves? Then of course religion and sexuality went hand and hand. Depending on your views on religion would greatly affect how you viewed sexuality as whole. One thing that became apparent after reading is the fact that im almost shocked that Graham didn’t just come out and say non married women are the devil, by the way he made it sound there was nothing women could do that was good other than to be married. Apparently dressing less revealing was even more evil because it made every man lust for her more. I don’t think im even going to touch his ideas on “self pollution” it was too funny from my viewpoint.
As for the essays themselves in the first essay by Ryan on how Utica a town filled with young men and women would attempt to transform itself from a city full of frogs (biblical reference to Egypt) to a city full of moral reform and stop the growing serge of evil. I think my favorite part of the essay was when it began to speak of how even though there was a brotherhood of reform women dominated the moral and temperance movements as well as a mainly older crowd leading these reform movements who woulda though that? Rhetorical question of course, as for Johnson and his pleasure garden called Forest Garden turning rough nature into art Crane believed would beautify his town but also improve moral sensibility. Not sure how a garden could do all that but hey I wasn’t alive back then times were different. While reading this essay I couldn’t help but become a fan of Sam I mean he moved and grew up IN Pawtucket none other a place then were the family guy lives of course Sam can do no wrong in my book. I mean everyone should have been impressed a jump of seventy feet in to the water is a ballsy move. When it came to ideas of perfection taking a greatly public location and turning it in to what he did would not be considered perfect o me, he turned it in to non public spot in my opinion not every was interested in the outdoors as an art. Crane turned on his own class almost by excluding his old social networking of working class men whom he had grown up with. Crane sounds like that boy who grew up and started believing he was better than everyone he grew up with. Someone needed to put him in his place.
While the political realm was constantly changing during the early republic and especially with the emergence of the Second Party System in 1820s so too does American society see a massive change through both religion and reform movements. The rise of the evangelical movement can be directly related with the rise of the reform movements that swept the nation in the 1820s-1850s. Women who got involved with the evangelical movement branched out to reform groups that addressed societal issues such as slavery, drinking, prostitution, gambling, education, and prison reformation. The ideals of re-birth, perfection, and purification of the new evangelical movement branched off from religion and people who got involved with this religious movement, especially women realized that they could transform society and try to perfect society such as the new evangelical movement was taking form in transforming how Americans viewed and practiced religion. Women were the main ones involved with all types of reform movements during the early republic. The temperance movement, headed by Lyman Beecher, as shown in document 1, argued against the evils of alcohol and how alcohol consumption destroyed the Christian ideals of family values and family life. As women got involved in reform movements such as the abolition movement and the temperance movement, they soon realized that they should begin their own movement regarding their rights as citizens in America. Document 2 discusses the monumental Seneca Falls 1848 conference for women’s rights headed by Mott and Stanton. This conference is considered the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement and is highly significant because they model their resolution by the premier piece of liberty, equality, and justice, Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. Temperance, abolition, and women’s rights attacked the moral sentiments of American life while people like Horace Mann argued for social reform and the importance of creating public schools. Document 5 discusses Mann’s proclamations for Mass. School reform and that it is a social responsibility of America to create schools to educate all of its young citizens in order to better the nation in the future. Document 6 discusses Dorthea Dix’s opinions on reforming asylums, such as prisons, hospitals, mental institutions and so forth.
ReplyDeleteHistorians Mary P. Ryan and Paul Johnson provide essays that discuss the importance and the effect that the wave of reform movements had on creating an American social identity and perfection of American life. Ryan argues that middle-class women and moral reform went hand in hand and that due to the already accepted roles women had in America in their “cult of domesticity” and as the guardians of their children and families they easily transferred into the realm of American moral reform movements such as temperance. The Female Moral Reform Society came out of this wave of reform movements and so too did the women’s rights movement. In the second essay, Johnson discusses the ideals of a utopian society nearby Paterson, New Jersey and examines the perfectionist reform movement of this utopian society. Timothy Crane was the leader of Forest Garden, and Johnson discusses how Crane used industry, commerce, romantic ideals to create this utopian society in attempt to reform the moral sensibilities of his neighbors.
There were numerous “reform” movements that arose out of the Second Great Awakening in America. These reforms “spoke to the widespread anxieties of the era as well as the exhilarating hope that with human effort and institutional reform, the world might be perfected.” These reforms included a temperance movement, education reform, keeping the Sabbath holy, and an asylum movement. These reforms were spearheaded by northeasterners and women with women taking a more central role in these reform movements and the Second Great Awakening made this possible by empowering women to think that pious influence could reform the world. The model that many of these reform movements followed was the temperance movement. Spearheaded by Lyman Beecher this movement sought to close down saloons and end drunkenness in America.
ReplyDeleteSome of these high-minded reforms seem to work against each other. For example while many abolitionist women fought for women’s suffrage some male preachers were quick to support abolition but not support women’s suffrage. Also many conservative reforms arose during this time period and these reformers certainly would not agree with these radical reformers. Reforms like the nativist movement would have a problem with women’s suffrage and an abolition movement. The nativists were prone to irrational fears and thought the Catholics in the United States were going to take over the country. As stated early many people worked for a variety of reform groups. Women in the abolition and temperance movements also supported women’s rights and their activity in numerous reform groups may have undermined one or more of their causes.
Historians Mary P Ryan and Paul Johnson examine the reform movements and there origins in two different essays. Ryan’s argument that this gendered middle class morality emanated from these reform movements is a very good one. By describing how women began to form associations in the 1820’s and 1830’s and how the ideas formed in these associations drove the temperance movement in the 1840’s Ryan does and excellent job of showing middle class women at the forefront of these reform movements. As she states, “the Victorian wife setting a pure standard for her more passionate husband, were first enunciated by associated women in the 1820’s and 1830’s and were put into service of the temperance cause in the 1840’s.”
Paul Johnson depiction of varying definitions of perfection is also a sound argument. By displaying two different ideas about perfection Johnson does an excellent job in showing that not everyone was on board with this perfection movement. The generation of industrial workers in his piece thought that the waterfall was perfect the way it was and it did not need to be altered. The entrepreneur however, wanted to perfect the site by altering it to his idea of perfection. This article shows that with the rise of commercialization people thought that they were making things better when really people liked things the way they were. As Johnson states, “the Forest Garden never made money and Crane died broke” which showed that commercialism’s idea of perfection lost out to the workers ideals.
TThe reform era of the 18th century encompassed a broad array of movements towards a more "moral" America. Chief among them in the minds of American students is the temperance movement. As Lyman Beecher claims in his sermon on temperance, alcohol use resulted in the total denigration of society; "theft and falsehood," shirking of duties, and a lower life expectancy could all be traced back to alcohol use. While the very word "temperance" implies not the complete abolition of alcohol but instead the drastic reduction of its consumption, Beecher and other reformers believed that the only cure for the evils of alcohol was complete abstention from it. Next in the mind of American students is the women's rights movement, which began to take hold in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention in which Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Moss, and others drafted their own "resolutions" that mimicked the "resolves" in the Declaration of Independence. These reformers wanted to be on equal terms with men in society, including the right to vote, the right to own their own property, and the ability to have control over the wages they earned. Another sweeping movement was public school reform championed by Horace Mann; interestingly, much of the rhetoric seen in the treatises on education reform is similar to current political debates surroundind education, particularly whether it is a right or a privilege. Mann claims that each man has an "absolute right" to education and that denying good education to the people is comparable to "infanticide," an extreme example that would not be taken well in today's debates surrounding public education. Similarly, Dorothea Dix championed improvements in asylums for the poor and mentally ill, a movement that is probably less well-known to most Americans. Most interestingly, Sylvester Graham and others advocated "sexual" reform, touting the unnecessary evils of masturbation and overactive sexual activity. In his view, sex only served one purpose: reproduction, and any recreational use of sex, including masturbation, was evil and against God-given law. Both the temperance movement and the sexual reform movements believed in the worsening depravity of society; wishing to find a reason for immoral behavior, they settled on alcohol abuse and human sexuality. Another unique aspect of the reform movement is the marked presence of women; as guardians of morality and purity in the home, it was a woman's natural duty to do the same in society. Thus, while women could not vote and had little to no property rights, they were extremely active in social reform movements, an idea undoubtedly noted by feminist reformers. Ryan's essay addresses this idea when she talks about a "women's network" in women's reform societies to protect them from the "dishonorable intentions and inordinate lusts of men." If a young woman was found to be morally wanting, she was "excommunicated." Ryan claims that "women exerted real social power" without the "benefit of official encouragement;" while women certainly were active in reform movements, especially temperance and asylum reform, they were still kept to a certain sphere of reform. They were certainly influential in their "spheres," but it was not until much later that they began to receive tangible rewards such as suffrage for their reform efforts. Ryan also claimed that ethnic and class conflict was negated by the "pluralism" of temperance reform movements, claiming that ethnic groups formed their own temperance organizations.
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ReplyDeleteHowever, this idea reinforces the idea of "separateness" among the races, classes, and even genders. African American temperance groups may have had an influence over their own community, but it is highly unlikely that they were able to influence the white community. Johnson writes about a "retreat" called Forest Garden in which only the most moral and upstanding citizens were invited to bask in the simple pleasures of nature. However, in order to do so, he demolished a public playground and took over community-owned space; in other words, Crane was able to implement his own image of perfection at the expense of the surrounding community.
A variety of efforts fell under the umbrella of reform in the early republic. Intemperance was thought to be “the insatiable destroyer of industry marching through our land,” likened to a bandit in the open (p.358). Women’s rights, education, and those of the sick and dumb were also pushed for in the early republic. All three of these were argued on the basis of the platform of man’s and woman’s natural right as citizens of the nation and of divine origin. More efforts also followed than just those of women’s rights, education, healthcare for the incompetent, and intemperance. Sexuality, land reform for the poor, and a religious reevaluation of the Catholics. George Henry Evans, urging all non-land holders to support land reform, touted all American citizens should “vote yourself a farm” if they are good Americans who have been passed up by the opportunity for a plot of land by the unfair and unwilling government public-land system.
ReplyDeleteA far departure from our current era and way of thinking about sexuality, Sylvester Graham urged restraint of one’s sexuality beceause such an act might lead to self-pollution. If man was to let his urges dominate him he would bring “disorder, disease, and misery upon himself and his species“ (p.368). “The intellectual and moral nature of man, becomes subordinate to his animal nature; the gross sensuality becomes paramount to deliberate reason; and man is thus debased, degraded, diseased, and destroyed!” Graham had a very radical and almost apocalypitical view of man’s inherent sexuality and sought to repress such tendencies lest it leads to violent things. What was quite interesting was all of the reform that took place in this period after and during the revivals was their reliance on scripture and God’s will as reinforcement. God unquestionable justice has led these reformers to seek a betterment of society through social reform seemed to be a reacurrent theme within all of their arguments.
Mary P. Ryan’s idea of gendered, middle-class reform stuck a common sense cord with me while reading her essay. Following in the footsteps of the Second Great Awakening, the explosion of reform movements in the Burned Over District of New York and else where in the Northeast was tied to the women and the young members of society. Not sufficiently fulfilled by either the church or public institutions, the associations as they were called gave women and other middle-class participants a chance to participate in something meaningful. Reform I believe was attractive to women and the middle-classes because it provided the opportunity to pursue a goal that was thought to be just and God’s will, and therefore necessary. It also provided for direct results, unlike the church where results were internalized and difficult to gauge. The poor of society did not as frequently participate in the reform movements because they had neither the time nor the intellectual means to pursue such ideals. Similarly, most of the rich of this era felt their situation was adequate and they did not bother to look past their own condition to contemplate reform. Women, most of all, were the driving force of these associations. The Female Moral Reform Society, among many others, allowed for participation of women in something up until this point there were exluded from: a strong voice in the debate over social dynamics and progress. Church and the other few public spaces open to women did not allow the degree of social voice that these new associations provided, and they took full advantage of these priveledges to address their greviances with society, domestic life, and social norms.
ReplyDeleteEvery single movement that could scrape together two or three supporters could claim to be part of the reform movement that was sweeping America. Efforts as eccentric as Sylvester Graham's healthy diet/no-sex theory of health, as obscure as Kellogg's breakfast initiative, as ambitious as George Henry Evans's restrictions on private property, as mainstream as temperance, and as controversial as women's equality existed side-by-side and all helped to define an era. Lyman Beecher mentions abolition and prohibition together, as joint reforms blessed by God, and many other reformers (especially women who wanted equal rights and public schools and temperance) supported multiple movements at the same times. Even Samuel Morse's hateful tirade against Catholicism qualifies as a reform movement, since he intended to improve America by encouraging violence against nuns in the northeast (Document 4). As Mary P. Ryan points out, these movements drew their strength from support of middle-class women. Because social organizations were acceptable for women to join, and because they allowed women to have some power and influence in a male-dominated world, they were extremely popular, even with women who did not believe in female suffrage or equal rights. Although there seems to be a strange contradiction between organizations like the Female Moral Reform Society, which persecuted those believed to be guilty of infidelity and the organizations of women that met at Seneca Falls, Ryan observes that one of the women in the Female Moral Reform Society complained that she could not improve the moral behavior of her son and daughter because her husband would not let her out of the house. The desire for control and power in their own lives and in the lives of their children drove women to provide the driving force behind many of the reform movements. Johnson takes a different angle on the reform movement. He points out the contradiction between the quest for perfection and the capitalist goal of profit. This strange combination of idealism and greed drove many individuals, like Timothy Crane, to steal land away from the public and build a private park under the guise of improving the world. The mob violence against Crane was a reaction from a poor society against the blind middle-class drive for improvement that took away many of the things they enjoyed most in life.
ReplyDeleteDuring the years of the early to mid-19th century, many groups, associations, and institutions were created to reform society away from many of the “problems” that were widespread throughout the states. At the head of many of these movements were prominent male figures such as Lyman Beecher, Horace Mann, George Henry Evans, and Sylvester Graham, but the time was also marked by women taking a largely increased role in leadership. Many famous reformers such as Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Dorothea Dix made their starts during this time period. These people led many common citizens into reform movements sparked by the religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening such as the temperance movement, women’s suffrage movement, school and asylum reform, and land reform movement. While some of these attempts at change benefitted many, other movements of the time seemed to move backwards, such as the not-so-radical Nativist reform movements and Sylvester Graham’s ideas of diet and, especially, sexual reform. I do not view these movements as conflicting, but actually many of these efforts at reform compounded on each other and grew from each other’s popularity.
ReplyDeleteIt is very likely that many people found themselves caught conveniently in between movements and pushed for both issues at the same time. For example, many women got swept up in the efforts of reform of both the temperance movement and the women’s suffrage movement, and probably attended meetings for both regularly. Other movements such as George Henry Evans’ push for land reform attracted many of the same people who had high interests in the school reform and ideas of Horace Mann. These sorts of interconnectedness surely existed during the times, as there seemed to be little middle ground with regard to the reforms, one was either simply for or against the ideas.
Mary P. Ryan’s article seems to further support the earlier claim that women, especially those from the middle class, found their way into larger roles of leadership during this time. Even the literature of the time period reflects this push as one poem states, “Oh, pity me lady, I am hungry and cold; should I all my sorrows to you unfold, I’m sure your kind breast with compassion would flame, my father’s a drunkard-but I’m not to blame.” The emphasis on women and their misfortunes during the time period spurred a lot of these sentiments and helped those of the middle-class further push such movements. While the idea of Crane’s perfectionism seems “perfect” on the surface, it was people like Sam Patch that saw Crane as just another ruler taking advantage of the men who worked for him and actually drove himself further away from perfection, a phenomena that probably happened often.
During thus tune period, America was awash in a plethora of reform movements. Every one seemed to believe that they had the right path to a greater America. Each of the eight documents shows different movements within the greater reform era. The eight movements discussed are the temperance, feminist movement, nativist (which is not quite a reform movement as we see it but some saw it as an actual means to better their country), religious tolerance (which is more or less just a retaliation to nativism), education reform, asylum reform, sexuality restraint, and land sale reform movements. Lyman Beecher talks about her views on the evils of alcohol consumption in document one. She seems to focus her thoughts on how one becomes enslaved to the drink, as “prudent use” become habitual use then ends in irreclaimable drunkenness. Its interesting to see her connection with it making slaves of people. It is easy for me to see her as a fan of abolition and feminism as well, as slavery and treatment of women could be seen under such negative terms as well. The Seneca Falls assembly in document two greatly from the constitution and its wording on equality saying “all men and women are created equal” rather than just referring to men. It lists men’s grievances towards women and vague explainations on fixing them. Documents show the two points of view that are on opposite spectrum: the nativist movement and the religious tolerance ideal. Document three goes over on make believe conspiracy to cause WASPs to fear Catholic immigrants, which is complete crap, especially since I am Catholic. Document four is published “by a friend of religious tolerance” and shows nativism in practice and how terrible it is. Horace Mann and Dorthea Dix are great reformers of public institutions and their contributions are seen in our systems today. Horace Mann is a little extreme in his cause, likening not educating children to infanticide, but he makes some great points. Every child should have the right and ability get an education. Dorthea Dix says some terrible stuff about a corrupt system. It is great that she was able to influence the great changes that she was able to do. Graham’s piece was just plain funny.
ReplyDeleteMary Ryan’s essay stresses a lot of what was discussed in lecture about women’s participation in the reform movements of the time through societies in Utica like the Female Missionary Society and the Maternal Association. They dominated reform of sexual conduct and temperance movement. It really drove home how these movements helped open the public spheres to women so they could finally have some influence on their communities rather than only allowing men to control their lives. It was a sense of independence. Paul E. Johnson’s essay had some entertaining parts in there about the construction of the Clinton Bridge and some parts were just sad. It was a side to things that was relatively new, as we did not go into any lengths of talking about things of this nature in class.
During thus tune period, America was awash in a plethora of reform movements. Every one seemed to believe that they had the right path to a greater America. Each of the eight documents shows different movements within the greater reform era. The eight movements discussed are the temperance, feminist movement, nativist (which is not quite a reform movement as we see it but some saw it as an actual means to better their country), religious tolerance (which is more or less just a retaliation to nativism), education reform, asylum reform, sexuality restraint, and land sale reform movements. Lyman Beecher talks about her views on the evils of alcohol consumption in document one. She seems to focus her thoughts on how one becomes enslaved to the drink, as “prudent use” become habitual use then ends in irreclaimable drunkenness. Its interesting to see her connection with it making slaves of people. It is easy for me to see her as a fan of abolition and feminism as well, as slavery and treatment of women could be seen under such negative terms as well. The Seneca Falls assembly in document two greatly from the constitution and its wording on equality saying “all men and women are created equal” rather than just referring to men. It lists men’s grievances towards women and vague explanations on fixing them. Documents show the two points of view that are on opposite spectrum: the nativist movement and the religious tolerance ideal. Document three goes over on make believe conspiracy to cause WASPs to fear Catholic immigrants, which is complete crap, especially since I am Catholic. Document four is published “by a friend of religious tolerance” and shows nativism in practice and how terrible it is. Horace Mann and Dorthea Dix are great reformers of public institutions and their contributions are seen in our systems today. Horace Mann is a little extreme in his cause, likening not educating children to infanticide, but he makes some great points. Every child should have the right and ability get an education. Dorthea Dix says some terrible stuff about a corrupt system. It is great that she was able to influence the great changes that she was able to do. Graham’s piece was just plain funny.
ReplyDeleteMary Ryan’s essay stresses a lot of what was discussed in lecture about women’s participation in the reform movements of the time through societies in Utica like the Female Missionary Society and the Maternal Association. They dominated reform of sexual conduct and temperance movement. It really drove home how these movements helped open the public spheres to women so they could finally have some influence on their communities rather than only allowing men to control their lives. It was a sense of independence. Paul E. Johnson’s essay had some entertaining parts in there about the construction of the Clinton Bridge and some parts were just sad. It was a side to things that was relatively new, as we did not go into any lengths of talking about things of this nature in class.