Second Great Awakening Dbq Essay

In the early 19th century, the overall atmosphere of the nation was charged with overwhelming positivity. The end of the War of 1812 left American feeling as if they won. It filled the citizens with a sense of optimism and inspiring nationalism. The market revolution, which lasted from around the time of the War til the 1860s, brought about many changes. It brought about changes in American business interaction, social changes like establishment of the cult of domesticity, and westward expansion of territory. All these events caused the American focus to deviate from religion. Approximately 50 years after the First Great awakening in the middle of the 18th century, religion once again began to be emphasized in America. Thus, this noteworthy

This feature was reflected in movements like abolition, prison reform, and the women’s rights movement. In 1829, David Walker, a free black man, wrote to all other freed black men that they needed to help their brothers who were enslaved. He wrote this to persuade them to do everything in their power to help them gain the freedom that they experience. He even goes as far as to mention the wretchedness of white christians thus suggesting a more radical approach to abolitionism. (Document 3). Walker’s urgent calling to immediately end slavery, no matter the means, suggest that he understands the value of each individual, even slaves. As previously noted, this valuing of every individual is a clear-cut result of the Second Great Awakening. Dorothea Dix was another individual who greatly stressed the value of the individual. She was an active reformist for prisons and especially for the mentally ill. She lead the movement to remove the negative connotation associated with mental illness and she advocated for better conditions for the mentally ill. By the Civil War, there were a number of public hospitals and facilities for the mentally ill. Document 6, however, represents her vocal campaigning for the refining of the prison system. She claimed the need for prisoners to be taught good and bad. Specifically, the officers she be the first example of good