Chapter 14, Section 3“Reforming American Society”

Main Idea – In the mid-1800s, several reform movements worked to improve American education and society.

A Second Great Awakening

Teaching at Revivals

• Americans should improve themselves and their society, and they should help others

Revivals Effect on Reform• Americans began

to believe they could act to make things better; religion became important to many Americans again

Temperanceo a campaign to stop people from consuming alcohol

o many male workers would spend much of their paychecks on drinking

o women and business owners supported this movement

Workers’ Rightso workers organized into unions and used strikes to gain better working conditions, better hours and higher wages

Educationo Horace Mann worked to improve public educationo New schools and colleges offered some limited opportunities for women and African Americans

Care for the Needy• Improvements in caring for the mentally ill and building of new hospitals nation-wide

• Schools are created for the deaf and blind

• Conditions in jails were improved (separating children and adults; rehabilitating prisoners)

Ideal Communities

oAimed to create a “utopia” – a perfect worldo People were given food and other necessities for living in exchange for worko None were very successful