Reforming Society

1. Reforming Society Chapter 8 Section 3

2. The Reform Spirit • In the mid-1800s, many Americans worked to reform various aspects of society. Dorothea Dix worked for improved treatment of the mentally ill. Lyman Beecher was instrumental in establishing associations known as benevolent societies. Although first started to spread God’s teaching, these societies also sought to combat social problems. • Many reformers argued that the excessive use of alcohol was one of the major causes of crime and poverty. These reformers advocated temperance, or moderation in the consumption of alcohol. Several temperance groups joined together in 1833 to form the American Temperance Union. Temperance groups also pushed for laws to prohibit the sale of liquor.

3. The Reform Spirit • Some reformers focused on improving prison conditions in the nation. Many states began building new prisons, which they called penitentiaries, that tried to rehabilitate prisoners. • Horace Mann focused on education reform. Mann pushed for more public education and backed the creation of a state board of education in Massachusetts. In 1852 Massachusetts passed the first mandatory school attendance law. At the same time, many reformers pushed for the establishment of tax-supported public elementary schools.

4. The Reform Spirit • Education reformers generally had men, not women, in mind. During the 1850s, how- ever, some women worked to create more educational opportunities for women. Emma Willard founded a girls’ boarding school that taught academic subjects, which were rarely taught to women then. Mary Lyon founded the first institution of higher education for women only.

5. The Early Women’s Movement • In the 1800s, people began dividing their life between the home and the workplace. Men generally went to work, while women took care of the house and children. Most people at that time believed that home was the proper place for women. Many women saw themselves as partners with their husbands, and as such believed that they should be treated equally. • Many women began to believe that they had an important role to improve society. Some began to argue that they needed greater rights to promote their roles. Other women also argued that equal rights for men and women would end many social injustices.

6. The Early Women’s Movement • In 1848 LucretiaMott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention, a meeting to focus on equal rights for women and one that marked the beginning of the women’s movement. Throughout the 1850s, women organized more conventions to promote greater rights for women.