The antebellum period saw several reform movements take place. There were movements for temperance, public school reform, abolition of slavery, women’s rights and dealing with poverty, crime and the mentally ill. The various reform movements that took place during this time achieved varying levels of success.
The temperance movement initially began with a goal to reduce the alcohol consumption of Americans. This changed when Lyman Beecher condemned any use of alcohol at all. Evangelical Protestants created the American Temperance Society. The goal of this group was to use moral suasion to persuade people to take a pledge that they would abstain from any use of alcohol.
The temperance movement began to focus on the laboring class and …show more content…
Slave owners did not take kindly to those that wanted to take their “property” away from them and potentially lead them to financial ruin. For others the thought of slaves becoming equal to white men was also a disturbing thought and a reason to be against emancipation of slaves. The primary success of the abolitionist movement was to keep the slavery issue in the forefront of the times and in minds of the people. There were no actual changes in laws or in the lives of slaves at that …show more content…
The utopian community was to provide an alternate to the excesses of social and economic competition in society that lead to selfishness. Utopian communities influenced by Charles Fourier were created in Long Island and Red Bank. The goal was to remove the evils created by economic competition. Robert Owen founded the New Harmony community in Indiana which led to better educational opportunities and living conditions for his workers. The most controversial Utopian community was established by John Humphrey Noyes called Oneida in New York. Noyes was an advocate for Christian communism were private property was renounced and men and women would disregard conventional gender roles. Marriages in Oneida were not between one man and one women which Noyes viewed as selfish but as every member of the community was married to every other member of the community of the opposite sex. While this was viewed as extremely improper behavior Noyes’ community did proper economically and in attracting new members. The movement for utopian communities did not become a wide spread success but did highlight the optimism of many
The temperance movement initially began with a goal to reduce the alcohol consumption of Americans. This changed when Lyman Beecher condemned any use of alcohol at all. Evangelical Protestants created the American Temperance Society. The goal of this group was to use moral suasion to persuade people to take a pledge that they would abstain from any use of alcohol.
The temperance movement began to focus on the laboring class and …show more content…
Slave owners did not take kindly to those that wanted to take their “property” away from them and potentially lead them to financial ruin. For others the thought of slaves becoming equal to white men was also a disturbing thought and a reason to be against emancipation of slaves. The primary success of the abolitionist movement was to keep the slavery issue in the forefront of the times and in minds of the people. There were no actual changes in laws or in the lives of slaves at that …show more content…
The utopian community was to provide an alternate to the excesses of social and economic competition in society that lead to selfishness. Utopian communities influenced by Charles Fourier were created in Long Island and Red Bank. The goal was to remove the evils created by economic competition. Robert Owen founded the New Harmony community in Indiana which led to better educational opportunities and living conditions for his workers. The most controversial Utopian community was established by John Humphrey Noyes called Oneida in New York. Noyes was an advocate for Christian communism were private property was renounced and men and women would disregard conventional gender roles. Marriages in Oneida were not between one man and one women which Noyes viewed as selfish but as every member of the community was married to every other member of the community of the opposite sex. While this was viewed as extremely improper behavior Noyes’ community did proper economically and in attracting new members. The movement for utopian communities did not become a wide spread success but did highlight the optimism of many