The Reform
Movement
This theme explores the diverse movements focusing on a wide range of
issues, including education, temperance, gay rights, public health and
sanitation, and politics.
Ashley Aguirre, Andrea Arizpe, Javier Hernando, Sarah Najera and
Isabel Tena
5th Period
1600’s & 1700's
Colonists in the 1600's had more imperative concerns such as survival rather than reform
in society. As a consequence, there is limited if any kind of reform throughout the entire 17th
century. The 18th century as well was scant in the extent of reform other than that of religious
reform and a movement for independence. The Enlightenment spreading throughout Europe
influenced the Great Awakening in the American colonies which was a wave of religious
revivalism. It called for the colonist to leave traditional religious behavior such as the "Halfway
Covenant". George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were the vanguard of the Great
Awakening. They push for further involvement in their religious obligations and devotion and
reverence to God. Tied along to this and educational reform was set in place as well by the
Puritans creating modern day colleges and providing and education to a wider array of people.
After the French and Indian War, a couple of rebellions broke out such as Pontiac's Rebellion,
Shay's Rebellion, and the Whiskey Rebellion. Pontiac's Rebellion was led by the Ottawa chief
Pontiac in regard to English economic policies; they attacked colonial garrisons in resentment to
the unfair policies set in place. Shay's Rebellion was much like Bacon's Rebellion which was
composed of farmers in protest hoping to change unfair policies. Whiskey's Rebellion was in
response to the heavy tax on whiskey. The 17th and 18th century mostly of religious reform did
not change up until the 1800's when more social reforms came into place due to the developing
of the colonies becomes further organized.
Enlightenment- a European intellectual movement that promoted rational thought over
emotionalism or spirituality; it was heavily influenced by ancient philosophy
Great Awakening- a wave of religious revivalism that spread throughout both Europe and
the colonies between the 1730s and the 1740s
Halfway Covenant- in response to the increased number of people leaving the church,
Puritan clergy would baptize all children whose parents were baptized, but those without
´´Gods grace´´ were not allowed to vote
Jonathan Edwards- a Great Awakening Congregationalist preacher that preached
Calvinistic predestination and who formulated ´´Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God´´
George Whitefield- a Great Awakening Methodist preacher that preached emotionalism
and spirituality, laying the foundation for evangelism
Pontiacs Rebellion- in retaliation for English economic monopolies that hurt them; a
group of reform minded tribes led by an Ottawa chief named Pontiac attacked various
colonial
outposts in the Ohio Valley
Shays Rebellion- like Bacons rebellion, a group of 1,500 backcountry farmers marched
on Springfield to violently protest economic and unfair policies.
Whiskey Rebellion- initiated in 1791, a group of farmers protested against a heavy tax on
whiskey in hopes of reform.
1800-1850
Although this era is mainly recognized for the abolition movement, there were also other
significant social and political reform movements such as the Second Great Awakening,
temperance and prohibition, and the reforms of the Liberal Party.
The Second Great Awakening, headed by Yale College president Timothy
Dwight, challenged the first Great Awakening by changing the perspective of religion,
transitioning from the teachings of inevitable damnation and beware hell fire to the brighter side
of religion; emphasizing more on the goodness of God and how all can "share in his glory."
Many followed in this new belief because the idea that everyone could be saved was more
appealing than that of fate choosing most to go to hell with no way of stopping it. This was a
change for the better as it caused people to be more optimistic about their lives, and boosted the
majority of society's morale.
The Temperance Movement (originating in 1826) was mainly advocated by individuals that
believed that alcohol was the cause of immorality and crime in society. They were mostly
women and clergymen that who called the drink the "Devil's rum." Actual Prohibition Laws
were first passed in 1851 in Maine and continued to be attempted well into the 1900s (mainly the
20s). Although having good intentions by trying to create a moral, safer society without the
dangers of alcoholism, prohibition did take away a liberty that many Americans were too fond of
to give up, and the laws were hardly truly enforced so of course, temperance and prohibition
were not permanent reforms. Just like in the 20th century, prohibition in the 1800s did not appeal
to the majority of the states, so they either rejected the laws completely or quickly repealed
them.
Within the years 1800 and 1850, the Liberal Party aided many reform movements that DID
remain permanent, more prominently within the justice system and education programs of the
nation. If it were not for the Liberal Party, there might not have been public education, and many
would miss out on the many opportunities that come with an education. Another reform that the
Liberal Party contributed to was the abolishment of imprisonment for debt, which helped create a
more practical justice system.
Second Great Awakening- religious revival that provoked the reform societies if this period.
Prohibition- the outlawing of alcoholic beverages.
Temperance- abstinence from alcohol
1850-1900
Following the reform movements from earlier in the century, the second half of the
1800's served to diminish poverty as well as a gateway to the Progressive Era in the 1900's. In
the post Civil War period, Americans sought to transfer silver into backing American funds.
Nevertheless the result of this would be inflation as the value of a dollar would not be worth as
much. Banks in the North disagreed with the idea yet southern farmers agreed with it. This
conflict is most commonly known as a Gold Standard situation. During this era, political
leaders used poverty to their advantage to accomplish their goals. Through the practice of
horizontal integration which combines many businesses to create a monopoly and vertical
integration in which a company can legally buy raw materials and all the factors of production
in order to finish a product, political leaders were able to be successful. As the government began
to notice the crooked strategies of these political leaders, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
was passed. This act forbade any "combination… or conspiracy in the restraint of trade."
However, this act only harmed labor unions. During and after the Civil War, railroad lines were
essential to American transportation therefore the Interstate Commerce Act was passed in order
to regulate unfair practices on the railroad lines. The steel mogul, Andrew Carnegie, promoted
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution asserting that only the "fittest" business will survive. This
theory is better known as Social Darwinism. In Carnegie's book, Gospel of Wealth, he
advocates philanthropy but not charity. Although he argued that wealth came with great social
responsibility, he was not a charitable man. In contrast, Jane Addams founded Hull House in
Chicago in which various services such as English lessons and day cares were provided to
immigrants and working mothers. Helen Hunt Jackson wrote A Century of Dishonor, in which
she focused on the injustices of the reservation system and inspired reformers to push for a
change. The result came in the Dawes Severalty Act which broke up reservations and
distributed some of the land to Native families. Civil Service Reform came with the Pendleton
Act which was the outcome of the charges patronage in the awarding of government jobs. The
Populists Party was a political party who aspired to better society by protecting the people.
They aimed to acquire a graduated income tax, direct elections for U.S. senators, and shorter
working days. Populists became the basis of the Progressive Movement in the 20th century. The
1850-1900s began with the idea to diminish poverty in America, yet it ended with the start of the
Progressive Movement.
Gold Standard- the backing up of the U.S. currency with reserves of gold.
Horizontal Integration- combines many businesses into one giant monopoly
Vertical Integration-allows bosses to buy all raw material and means of production to improve
their product.
Sherman Anti-Trust Act- forbade any "combination... or conspiracy in the restraint of trade.
Interstate Commerce Act- passed in order to regulate unfair and unethical practices in the
railroads.
Andrew Carnegie- founder of U.S. steel, promoted Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism- idea that only the "fittest" (businesses) will survive and it was the
responsibility of the wealthy to care for the less fortunate.
Gospel of Wealth- written by Andrew Carnegie; encouraged philanthropy but not charity.
Jane Addams- founded Hull House in Chicago and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her
life's work in 1931.
Hull House- a settlement house founded by Jane Addams which provided English lessons to
immigrants and daycares for working mothers.
Helen Hunt Jackson-wrote A Century of Dishonor which described the injustices of the Native
Americans on the reservation system.
Dawes Severalty Act- broke up the reservations and distributed American land of the head of
each Native American family.
Civil Service Reform- changing the way that people were allowed to get jobs.
Pendleton Act - a federal law established in 1883 that
Populist Party-political group who campaigned to better society by protecting the people
1900-1950
The commencement of the twentieth century came with various reform movements. At
the start of the century, alcohol drinking was one major criticized action by the people which led
to the start of prohibition, which then led to the institution of the 18th amendment in the year
1918. Later on in the year 1933, this law was repealed but it did well on informing people of the
hazards that alcohol consumption posed. When Theodore Roosevelt became the president in
1901, the industry was diligently advancing. Consequently this period became known as the
progressive movement. This movement had the primary goal of purifying the government
through direct democracy. Since the industry was becoming infiltrated with monopolistic trust
corporations, certain acts, like the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, although previously
declared as a failure, were followed in order to deter the creation of monopolies because of their
lack of competition. Another reform movement during this time was the literature movement.
Often referred to as muckrakers, people like Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Samuel Hopkins
Adams, and various others, were able to reveal some of the harsh realities of the corruption in
America. For example, Sinclair’s book The Jungle illuminated the horrid working conditions of
the meatpacking industry. Reform movements like these took place at the first half of the
twentieth century.
Prohibition- The abolishment of alcoholic drinks at the beginning of the 20th century.
18th amendment- Prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import, or export of alcoholic
beverages.
Theodore Roosevelt- President throughout the years 1901-1909
Progressive Movement- Period of social activism and political reform in the U.S.
Sherman Antitrust Act- Act in 1890 that prohibited certain business activities that federal
government regulators deem to be anticompetitive and requires the federal government to
investigate and pursue trusts.
Muckrakers- Reform-minded journalists who sought to expose the corruption of American
industry.
Upton Sinclair- Muckraker who wrote The Jungle which exposed the bad working conditions in
the industry.
1951- Present Day
The Second half of the twentieth century brought a plethora of diverse reform movements
that were only met by equally if not more complex reforms in the early twenty-first century.
Contrary to the 1940’s, people of the 1950’s chose to “rock the boat” by inventing new styles
and experimenting not only with drugs but with their sexuality. Authors like Jack Kerouac
played primary roles in the rebellion against mainstream American life with the coming of age
novels they wrote which together consequently conceived the Beat Movement that defined their
generation. As the Beat Movement dissipated however, questions concerning WWII arose in the
minds of Americans and led to John F. Kennedy’s proposal of the New Frontier. Kennedy’s
New Frontier fostered hope for great change in the American way of life, change that was well
on its way until his assassination in late November of 1963. John F. Kennedy’s assassination
resulted in vice president Lyndon B. Johnson taking charge of the nation and his subsequent bill
that made both Medicare and Social Security available to all U.S. citizens two years later. Both
of these social reforms that Johnson implemented decades ago are still present in modern-day
America and have been modified to better fit society such as the recent Obamacare. Due to the
fact that a lot of the country’s financial concerns had still not been addressed after these reforms,
what helped the United States ward off poverty was Johnson’s Great Society. What truly
unveiled the true issue of poverty however, was the milestone of a court case Gideon v.
Wainwright where the United States under the 14th amendment was mandated to provide
indigent criminal defendants counsel at trial. Other unrelated reforms that occurred during the
late twentieth and early twenty-first century included the extremely controversial Gay Rights
Movement along with the Free Speech Movement that both define much of the dilemmas faced
by all citizens even today. Stonewall Riots fueled by pent up opinions concerning gay rights
caused much controversy in 1969, and years later with the diligence of the Mattachine Society
and Daughters of Bilitis, same-sex marriage was legalized recently in eleven states. If it had not
been for the Free Speech Movement that occurred in the 1960’s however, reforms such as gayrights would not have been achievable. The student-led protests held at the University of
California at Berkeley regarding the right to free speech undeniably impacted the United States
in such a way that it paved the road for the transforming Reform Bills that would arise in the
twenty-first century.
Beat Movement- A movement that influenced non-conformity and experimentation.
New Frontier- Kennedy’s campaign promise for great change and explanations.
Social Security Act- Johnson’s bill that aids the elderly, and disabled financially through taxes.
Medicare- Health insurance for people over 65 and the disabled.
Obamacare- Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by Obama on March 23, 2010.
Great Society- A set of domestic programs in the U.S. instilled by President Johnson to
eliminate racial injustices and poverty.
Gideon v. Wainright- A landmark court case where counsel was now required for needy
criminals in a court case.
Gay Rights (LGBT) Movement- is a political ideology and social movement that advocate for
the full acceptance of LGBT people in society.
Free Speech Movement- Student led protests that lifted the campus ban on the right to free
speech and political activities at the University of California at Berkeley.
Mattachine Society- Founded in 1950, one of the earliest homophile organizations.
Daughters of Bilitis- Founded in 1955, the first lesbian rights organization.