The feminist movement with the abolitionist movement

There have been many reform movements that had an impact on American society. The reform movements occured because of the need to give more power to the people in the United States. The many reforms put in place were to help the people and make the society better. The Second Great Awakening pushed for all of these reforms. The people wanted equal rights between both men and women. Reforms like the feminist movement, the temperance movement,and the abolitionists helped to give the people in the states more of a say.

The statement that the reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals is valid because it shows what the people wanted to achieve while pushing for these many reforms. The rise of feminism was a very important even during the 1800s. Women at this time had no say in any matter. Women were treated as if they were children who had no say in what they could and could not do. The women decided to take a stand to make people aware of what they are going through in the society.

They face many problems in a male dominated society,and people act as if it does not matter. Women were expected to do domestic work which meant cleaning the house,taking care of the children and her husband if she had one. It was time for a change,so the women spoke up so that everyone could hear their voices. According to Document G it states “these systems of reform disown the past,condemn what has been,and propose the creation of a new social order”. This goes to show that people are willing to make changes so that everyone will agree on.

The past is the past and things should change based on what is going on in the society. Women should have some sort of authority and should be treated as equals to males. Many people,especially men did not agree with the actions of the women as they were standing up for themselves. Women like Susan B. Anthony and Mott Stanton played a huge role in the rise of feminism. They sought out to elevate the status of all women living in the United States by organizing a convention in Seneca Falls that questioned their rights as women.

Document I says “But we are assembled to protest against a form of government,existing without the consent of the governed-to declare our right to be free as man,to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support,to have such disgraceful laws as give man the power to chastise and imprison his wife”. This shows that the women are tired of being treated like second class citizens. They don’t appreciate the fact that they are inferior to men when everyone should be equal. The way they are being treated is unjust and they want to make a change.

They support their country by paying taxes the same as men,and yet still have no kind of authority. The Temperance movement was another reform that many pushed for. Temperance means to stop drinking. Drinking was a daily thing in the early 1800s. The average american drank almost 3 times the amount of alcohol that people drink in the present. Alcohol was becoming a major problem in the 1830s. The excessive amount of drinking was the leading cause of poverty,violence,and crime. Wives and children were being abused,and a lot of money was spent on buying alcohol like whiskey.

Men drank during the day and they ended up coming home drunk at night. The people who drank constantly did it to cope with their problems and to just do it. Document H shows a picture of the Drunkard\’s progress from their first glass to their last. It’s like a staircase where each step leads you closer to your death. It starts off with just one drink,but then you can’t stop because you become addicted. When the addiction gets ahold of you,you start doing things they you regret. The wives of the men had a problem with uncontrolled drinking,so they took matters into their own hands.

A group was created to encourage abstinence from alcohol. They wanted people to stop drinking because it was causing others harm and it was just not safe. It not only affected them,but it affected people around them. This reform led to breakthroughs in the lives of many alcoholics. It led to them being sober and helping others to do the same. This reform helped to decrease the amount of crime and disorder caused by the constant alcohol consumption. Abolitionism was a reform that sought out to abolish slavery. The amount of people who opposed slavery was less than the amount who agreed with it.

There was an anti -slavery society that wanted to help the slaves,but they did not have a great impact on the issue like they thought they would have. Slaves were a big part of the economy in the South. They were cheap labor so the whites used them so that they wouldn’t have to do the work themselves. The hard work of the slaves was the main reason why cotton production was so high in the South and why the economy was booming. Slaves had to go through abuse and harassment by their masters and other white men.

Women slaves had to endure pain from being raped,and there was nothing that they could do about it. Document C shows a picture of a woman saying “Am I not a woman and a sister”. This document depicts what was wrong with society. This also goes make to women’s rights because that slave was forced to work and be kept in chains. This picture was made so that people could push for reforms to put an end to slavery. The woman wants equality,but they won’t grant that because of her gender and the color of her skin. She doesn’t deserve to be treated the way she is being treated.

This connected the feminist movement with the abolitionist movement. According to Document G it states “these systems of reform disown the past,condemn what has been,and propose the creation of a new social order”. This goes to show that people are willing to make changes so that everyone will agree on. The past is the past and things should change based on what is going on in the society. Many reforms were pushed for in order to expand democratic ideals in the United States. All of the reforms had the same goal,but different ways in approaching it.