Temperance
As part of a religious “Second Great Awakening,” many religious leaders called for an end to drinking alcohol. Here, religion fueled (caused) social reform.
Lyman Beecher of Connecticut was one such minister. Some states did outlaw drinking for a while as part of the religious reform movement.
Lyman Beecher
“Normal School”
Until the 1830s, many (but not all) people thought that females and African-Americans did not need an education. Going to school was not required by law.
States began to fund “Normal Schools.” Here, High School graduates could be trained to become teachers. The standards for America’s education would go up as the teachers were better trained.
Florida State Normal and Industrial School, 1904
Tallahassee, FL
AbolitionistAbolitionists were social reformers who opposed slavery and wanted to abolish it. It was not a new movement but it gained momentum with the Second Great Awakening in the 1800s.
Remember that the issue of slavery had been compromised in the U.S. Constitution in order to get the states to ratify it.
Some Northerners opposed the antislavery movement. Abolitionist press owner Elijah Lovejoy was killed at his office building as pro-slavery rioters burned it.
Runaway slave Frederick Douglass risked recapture by becoming a public figure in the Abolitionist Movement. He was a motivational speaker and a newspaper editor.
Seneca Falls Convention
Some reformers linked the issues of equality for African Americans and for women. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were two such women.
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in NY in 1848. It dealt with such issues as workplace equality for women, an end to discriminatory laws, and the right for women to vote (suffrage).
The convention inspired other women to speak publicly about women’s issues and social movements like Abolition and temperance.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
This act made it illegal for anyone to assist a fugitive (runaway) slave. Many Northern whites refused to obey it. The “underground railroad” was now illegal.
The act was part of Senator Calhoun’s Compromise of 1850. In it, California would be admitted as a free state (not paired with a slave state), but there would be no limits on slavery in any future states that desired it.
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
Senator Stephen Douglas (Illinois) proposed repealing the Missouri Compromise. It had prohibited slavery north of 36 degrees 30 minutes, or the northern border of Missouri.
Now, Kansas would be admitted as a state with the residents voting on the slavery issue. People flocked to Kansas to upset the vote. The pro-slavery voters won, but two rival governments were then set up.
Slavery supporters attacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas and the other side retaliated. John Brown led the counterattack. The situation was called “Bleeding Kansas.”
Dred Scott Decision/ Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1848
He sued for his freedom when his owner took him to work in Illinois, where slavery was outlawed.
The Supreme Court ruled against him, saying that property cannot be taken without due process. It also ruled that slavery was Constitutional and nothing could abolish it.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
While debating in Illinois with Stephen Douglas for a seat in Congress, Lincoln would argue that African Americans were “the equal of every living man.” He lost the election, but the Republican Party’s reputation for being anti-slavery was strengthened.
Harpers Ferry
John Brown again took up arms for the cause of slavery. He and his sons raided the Federal arsenal in Virginia. He was attempting to arm slaves and start a revolt.
He was captured and hung. Southerners now felt that the North was conspiring (plotting) against them with violent intent.
Confederacy
Lincoln won the Presidential Election of 1860. The South felt that the sentiment of the North would change their lifestyle so they seceded.
They saw the Constitution as a broken contract because their states’ rights were at risk. The U.S. saw the Constitution as a binding document and did not recognize their right to secede.
