Social Reform In The 1800s

Submitted By chiyomii
Words: 532
Pages: 3

Due to the rapid changes of reforms in the early 19th century American history has changed significantly. In the 1830s, many Americans began to be interested in social reforms, or organized attempts to improve conditions of life. Their efforts to creating a better society started with both religious and political roots. During the early 1800s, some ministers challenged traditional religious views. Which became known as, The Second Great Awakening. In earlier centuries, Americans believed in predestination, the idea that god decided the fate of a persons soul before birth. But now leaders of The Second Great Awakening believed that people's own actions determine their own fate. An important leader of The Second Great Awakening was a gentlemen named,
Charles Finney. He held many religious gatherings called revivals. When Francis Grund, a
German noble traveled to the United States, he was inspired that religion has kept a little community of Americans together, and that it also assisted them in their revolutionary struggle. It also help appeal in defending their liberties stated in
DOC.3
. The revivals that were held suggested that drinking alcohol is a step towards hell, which was bad in religious views. This later led to the Temperance Movement which was around the 1830s. This was a movement to end the abuse of alcohol and problems created by it.
Alcohol was widely used across America, because it was cheaper and much safer than water which was mostly contaminated. Many reformers, especially women supported this movement because both women and children suffered the abuse from their drunken husbands and fathers. Others who just supported the Temperance, or the moderation for

the amount of alcohol consumed didn’t want to completely ban alcohol consumption because it was already part of their everyday lifestyle; it was also their replacement for water. While others wanted to completely prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol because they know just how serious alcohol consumption is, if it is overdosed on. Another reform movement, was for the widespread problem of the education system.
This reform was started by a man from