SummaryThe young republic sped through rapid social change in the early 1800s—change that brought not only new benefits but also new regional and cultural tensions. A growing and dynamic reform movement urged Americans to seek both personal and social improvements, shaping society and the nation for generations to come.
Chapter OutlineSection 1: Reforming SocietyRevivalists and transcendentalists urged Americans to improve themselves and society. Reformers set out to battle social problems such as alcoholism, poor education, and inhumane prisons. Section 1: Writing an Essay: The Temperance MovementUsing the links below, examine documents and sources from the temperance movement of the early 1800s. Based on your research, write an essay evaluating the factors that helped the movement grow and the challenges the movement faced. Section 2: Recreating History: The Underground RailroadUsing the links below, find out what escaping slaves took with them on the Underground Railroad. Then, prepare a list of items you would have taken on that journey. Remember, you could only take what you could carry for long distances. Section 3: Writing an Editorial: Declaration of SentimentsUsing the links below, read and research the Declaration of Sentiments from the Seneca Falls Convention. With the information you have gathered, write a newspaper editorial that might have appeared after the convention, responding to the demands of the signatories. Section 4: Recreating History: The Potato FamineUsing the links below, examine firsthand accounts and other historic documents about the Irish fleeing the potato famine during the 1840s. Based on your research, write an authentic diary entry from the viewpoint of an Irish emigrant.
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