Reforms Influenced by the Second Great Awakening

Reform movements sought to expand democratic ideals between 1825 and 1850 in respect to several different aspects of society, and in the long run they were successful. The women's rights reform sought to make women equal to men in the eyes of society and the law. The reform for abolition sought to abolish slavery and make it unlawful anywhere in the United States of America. The educational reform sought to make elementary school education mandatory in order to ensure the development of educated citizens in the republic. These three reforms, driven by the Second Great Awakening, successfully began to develop democratic ideals between 1825 and 1850 in the United States of America.

The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival headed by the preacher Charles G. Finny. This religious revival called for people to, in a sense, repay god and show their faith to god with good deeds within society as well as acting with moral correctness. Charles G. Finney believed that when the churches were reformed sinners, harlots, drunkards and infidels would be awakened and inspired to act with moral correctness in society. The Second Great Awakening brought on several reform movements such as the call for educational reform.

Horace Man was one of the prominent leaders in the movement for educational reform. He believed that it was vital to make elementary school mandatory to develop good citizens for the republic. He also thought that every child should have the right to go to school free of cost. This was extremely important because many parents could not afford or could barely afford to send their child to school. It was also important for schools to be mandated so there was a decrease in the number of Juvenile Delinquents. This results in less of a need for a house of refuge. The educational movement for reform was closely followed by a movement for abolition.

During the period of time from 1825 to 1850 the north sought a greater need to make slavery unlawful throughout the entire country. Quaker Benjamin Laudey was a Quaker that believed in talking peacefully with the south. On the other hand, William Lloyd Garrison believed the United States government supported slavery and wanted nothing to do with peace talks. David walker also wrote the book, "A Coloured Mans Appeal To The World" which aided in the movement. Fredrick Douglas was also a freed slave who became a leader in the anti-slave society. Many people did not want to fight in a war with Spain for land in the west because it supported spreading the amount of land available for slavery. The reform for slavery went hand in hand with the reform for women's rights.

Slaves were at a disadvantage at birth and women felt that because of the usual role in society that they had they were at a disadvantage as well. These two movements were connected and women felt as if they were slaves to society at certain times. The first convention for womens' rights was at the Seneca Falls convention lead by Elizabeth Caddy Stanton in 1848. Women demanded a right to vote in the declaration which governed them. The movement for women's rights reform went hand in hand with temperance reform.

The National Temperance Union fought to ban and prohibit the drinking of alcohol and they argued that it made men corrupt, destroyed families, led to crime, and even led to death and suicide. Often alcohol would turn men into drunkards leaving their wives and children to fend for themselves. Another reform taking place during the time period was reform for the disabled.

This time period saw the development of social facilities to deal with social problems. Facilities were often made for the handicapped, but they were not treated properly in these facilities. Dorothea Dix spent thirty years of her life to make sure mental patients were treated properly in mental facilities. Dr. William Howy and Thomas Gauller developed methods for helping the blind and def respectfully.

Overall reform movements that were driven by the Second Great Awakening, between 1825 and 1850 began to help to expand democratic ideals in the United States of America. These reforms did so by attempting to abolish slavery, demanding rights for women, fighting against alcoholic addiction, and improving the quality of life for the mentally handicapped. These reforms were in the most part successful and set the stage for establishing equality in the United States regardless of race, religion, or gender. Today the United States is a place where everyone is considered equal in the eyes of the law and for the most part in the eyes of society. Positive social reforms throughout the years have come so far that the people of the United States have elected Barack Obama as the president of the United States. This truly shows how far our country has come and how the reforms between 1824-1850 have even influenced America in the world today.