Sub-movement | horacemann

The Movement towards Social Reform

The Second Great Awakening

The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival movement that swept the nation from 1800-1810. Starting because of the separation of church and state, the Second Great Awakening focused on reforms for Congregationalists, Anglicans, Quakers, Evangelical Methodists, and Baptists. One of the more popular ways to preach these new changes were in camp meetings, where thousands of people would join to hear the preachings and convert. Some of the reforms made were almost revolutionary, including the proposal that ordinary people, not just elites, could teach and preach religious sermons.

1839 Camp Meeting

Dorothea Dix

Dorothea Dix was a woman committed to reforming hospitals, prisons, and asylums. When working as a teacher in a prison, she first-handedly witnessed the terrible conditions that the mentally ill were put in. From then on, Dix devoted her work to the mentally ill, the blind, and the deaf, traveling the world to spread reforms. She worked hard to create asylums and institutions that would practice safe healthcare for their patients. Dix was instrumental in helping to spread awareness of the mentally ill and the conditions they should be receiving, as well as the importance of female nurses.

Dorothea Dix

1802-1887

How these all relate:

The 19th century was a period of great social reform for America. Reform was made in several areas of daily life, including education, religion, and health. Each reform gained something from another, and ultimately made America a safer, more succesful place to live.

While the changes made during this time seem insignificant, they were very radical and progressive for the 1800s. At this point in history, we finally are able to see where our modern institutions of religion, helath, and education come from.

The second great awakening had an effect on the people listening to Dorothea Dix. The new religious movements brought about the idea of equality for everyone. Dix brought to the surface that the mentally ill were not being treated fairly in prisons and hospitals, and this stirred up a sense of responsibility to her audience. Without the recent reforms to religion, people would not feel such an urge to work with Dorothea Dix to create better hospitals for the mentally ill.

Reforms during antebellum America varied, but they all worked to help better the country. Without any of these sub-movements, America would not be as strong as it proved to be.