The Antebellum reform movements took place before the Civil War. Reforms stemmed from various interest groups in their determination to improve the American living standards. Since most of the reforms took place in the North, the South regarded such moves as a conspiracy against them and this created sectionalism in the entire nation; however, there are some that brought nationalism ( Jeynes, 2003). This essay seeks to describe three distinct antebellum reform movements in the U.S.
The Second Great Awakening
The awakening was a religious revival that began in the late 19 th century. Before the onset of the awakening, many individuals did not see the value of attending church services because they thought God would judge people based on how they lived on Earth. Others were immersed in creating wealth and had no time for God. For this reason, many religious organizations sponsored the revivals with a greater emphasis being the dependence upon God. Whereas numerous religious entities benefited, the Baptists and Methodists realized the largest number of converts all over the nation ( McLoughlin, 1980).
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According to McLoughlin (1980), t he Second Awakening emphasized the need for evangelicalism. The primary purpose of awakening was to make the world a conducive and peaceful environment for all kinds of people to live irrespective of their race, gender, and status. For this reason, it was successful because it led to prison reforms, temperance, gender equality, and abolitionism in the U.S. In addition, some of the denominations are present to date.
The Education Reform
The education reform’s primary purpose was to avail education to more children. According to Finkelstein (1990), Horace Mann “the father of American public schools” was the key figure behind the changes. During that period, only a few areas had public schools paid for by taxes, some children used to attend school on a part-time basis usually in a one-room institution, while teachers were underpaid. On the other hand, the wealthy used to send their children to private institutions or hire private tutors. Reformers' primary objective was through education, people would escape poverty.
The reform was a success during the era because under Horace Mann, the then state supervisor of education in Massachusetts, people voted to pay taxes channeled towards building better schools, paying teachers better wages, and establishing teachers' training schools. Further, under Horace, the school year was lengthened to six months, and significant improvements were made in the curriculum. By mid-1800s, several, especially in the North and West states (the most dynamic and reform-minded), had adopted Horace's principles and also, children were expected to attend school. The years that followed marked the establishment of institutions such as Oberlin College and the Mount Holyoke that accepted women ( Jeynes, 2003). Based on such reforms, many poor children have since had access to better education just like those from affluent backgrounds.
The Prison and Asylum Reform
During the era, prisoners used to be bound in chains and locked in cages. Furthermore, children accused of petty theft were combined with adult offenders. Also, even the debtors’ prisons were full jailbirds who owed as less as $20, chained. Since they were unable to pay back the money, they stayed in prison for years. The mentally ill convicts were locked in dirty, congested prison, and whipped when they misbehaved instead of giving them the needed treatment and care ( Muckenhoupt, 2004).
Dorothea Dix is one of the greatest prison reformers. The movement was a success because due to her quest to demand justice for the mentally ill prisoners, various states built special mental healthcare facilities. Before her demise in 1887, state governments were no longer imprisoning debtors, special justice systems for children had been established, and some states had banned cruel punishments such as branding convicts with hot irons. Many European reformers modeled after the new prison systems to enhance their own ( Malsin, 2015). It was easier for deviants to change if prisons provided a favorable atmosphere.
Conclusion
The second great awakening, prison reforms, and education reforms were the three significant antebellum reform movements. They changed the status of life in the United States. The great awakening heavily contributed to the abolition of slavery and gender inequality, the education reform led to the establishment of the public school system thereby availing education to the poor, and the prison systems led to the establishment of better living conditions in jails as well as the establishment of hospitals for the mentally ill.
References
Finkelstein, B. (1990). Perfecting childhood: Horace Mann and the origins of public education in the United States. Biography , 13 (1), 6-20.
Jeynes, W. (2003). Religion, education, and academic success . Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Pub.
Malsin, M. J. (2015). A Rhetoric of Rehabilitations Dorothea Dix's Prison Reform Arguments. Argumentation and Advocacy , 51 (3), 138-152.
McLoughlin, W. G. (1980). Revivals, awakening, and reform . University of Chicago Press.
Muckenhoupt, M. (2004). Dorothea Dix: Advocate for mental health care . Oxford University Press.
