Dates:
1826 - Ministers organize the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance
1830-1831 - Charles G. Finney begins preaching in upstate New York
1830 - Joseph Smith reveals the Book of Mormon
1836 - Transcendental Club holds its first meeting
1839 - Mormons establish the community of Nauvoo, Illinois
1841 - Catharine Beecher's Treatise on Domestic Economy is published
1846 - Mormons, led by Brigham Young, undertake trek to Utah
1848 - At Seneca Falls Convention, women issue the Declaration of Sentiments; John Humphrey Noyes establishes the Oneida Community
1854 - Henry David Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods is published
1855 - Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is published
Terms:
Deists- Deists rejected the belief that every statement in the Bible is literally true. They were skeptical of miracles and questioned the divinity of Jesus. Deists also defended free speech and opposed religious coercion of all sorts. (p.493)
Unitarianism- By the end of the eighteenth century, well-educated many New Englanders were embracing Unitarianism, a belief that emphasizes the oneness and benevolence of a loving God, the inherent goodness of humankind, and the primacy of reason and conscience over established creeds and confessions. (p. 493)
The Second Great Awakening- The Second Great Awakening was a revival of religion that involved two very different centers of activity. One emerged among the elite New England colleges, especially Yale, and then spread west across New York into Pennsylvania and Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The other center of revivalism coalesced in the backwoods of Tennessee and Kentucky and spread across rural America. What both forms of Protestant revivalism shared was a simple message: salvation is available not just to a select few but to anyone who repents and embraces Christ. (p. 494)
Burned-over district- Regions swept by revival fevers were compared to forests devastated by fire. Western New York, in fact, experienced such intense levels of evangelical activity that it was labeled the burned-over district. (p. 499)
The Mormons- The burned-over district crackled with spiritual fervor and gave rise to several religious movements, the most important of which was the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormons. Its founder was Joseph Smith. Mormons rejected the notion of original sin staining the human race and were in favor of an optimistic creed stressing human goodness. (p. 500)
Joseph Smith- founder of the Mormon religion. Reported that an angel named Moroni visited him and guided him to a place where he unearthed golden tablets on which was etched the Book of Mormon, supposedly a lost “gospel” of the Bible buried some 1400 years later. (p.500)
Brigham Young- (1801-1877) successor to Joseph Smith, the Mormons found a stern new leader who was strong minded, intelligent, and authoritarian. Guided the Mormons to the promised land of Utah in 1846-1847. (p.502)
Transcendentalism- Transcendentalism meant an interest in areas “a little beyond” the scope of reason. Reaction against Calvinist orthodoxy and the ‘corpse-old’ rationalism of unitarianism.Transcendentalism during the 1830s became the most influential intellectual and spiritual force in American culture. (p.504)
Ralph Waldo Emerson- The acknowledged high priest of transcendentalism. Emerson embodied and championed the transcendentalist gospel. He was determined to transcend the limitations of inherited conventions and rationalism in order to penetrate the inner recesses of the self. (p.504)
Horace Mann- From Massachusetts, Mann led the early drive for statewide school systems. He went on to sponsor many reforms in Massachusetts, including the first state-supported “normal school” for the training of teachers, a state association of teachers, and a minimum school year of six months. He repeatedly promoted the public-school system as the way to achieve social stability and equal opportunity. (p.513)
Dorothea Dix- the most important figure in heightening the public’s awareness of the plight of the mentally ill. By 1860 she had persuaded twenty states to heed her advice, thereby helping to transform social attitudes toward mental illness. (p.518)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton- a prominent moral reformer and advocate of women’s rights. She refused to merely “a household drudge,” called a convention to discuss “the social, civil and religions condition and rights of women.” The Seneca Falls Convention was the first of its kind on July 19th, 1848. The Seneca Falls gathering represented an important first step in the evolving campaign for women’s rights. (p.520)
Shakers- The Shakers, officially the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were religious group who followed Ann Lee (Mother Ann Lee) and founded many long lasting Utopian Communities. The Shakers’ fars were among the nation’s leading sources of garden seed and medicinal herbs, and many of their manufacturers, including clothing, household items, and especially furniture, were prized for their simple beauty. (p.522)
Utopian Communities- Ideal communities that were the result of American passion. More than 100 utopian communities sprang up between 1800 and 1900.