Religion and Culture in the 1800’s

Second Great Awakening 1797 – 1859 1st Awakening had occurred in the 1740s 2nd began among frontier farmers of Kentucky Spread among Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians Christians have a moral duty to improve society Let God in and gain admission to heaven through acts of faith

Charles G. Finney 1792 – 1875 Presbyterian minister Allowed women to participate in public prayer Taught that everyone has the ability to gain salvation through repentance and good works that demonstrate faith Planned and rehearsed his revivals

Lyman Beecher 1775 – 1863 Revivalist Presbyterian minister Father of Harriet Beecher Stowe Preached that citizens, not government ,are responsible for building a better society Strongly nativist and anti-Catholic

The Unitarians Jesus not the Son of God, but was an important teacher – there was no Virgin Birth, no miracles, and no Resurrection God is a unity, not a trinity (God is One) Still considered a Christian church

The Universalists Believed in Universal salvation – there is no Hell and God redeems everyone because He loves everyone God would not create a person knowing that they were doomed to eternal damnation

The Mormons Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Started in New York, but were victims of constant harassment Moved to Ohio, then Missouri, then the town of Commerce, Illinois in 1839 Renamed the town Nauvoo After founder’s murder in 1844, Mormons resettled in Utah

Joseph Smith 1805 – 1844 Recorder of The Book of Mormon – received from an angel – which describes how Israelites arrived in America around 600 BC and were later visited by Jesus Had numerous legal run- ins in Missouri and Illinois which eventually led to his arrest Murdered by a mob in 1844 while awaiting trial

Brigham Young 1801 – 1877 President of Mormon church from 1847 -1877 Founded Salt Lake City, Utah 1st Governor of Utah Led the Mormons west to Utah to escape persecution Practiced polygamy, had 55 wives

Utopian Communities Attempts to establish socially perfect communities, usually through equal communal sharing of all work, responsibilities and rewards

New Harmony, Indiana Town was bought in 1824 by utopians under Robert Owen with the intention of building it into a perfect socialist community No private property, no money Community failed and was dissolved in 1829

Oneida Community, NY Founded by John Noyes in 1848 in Oneida, NY; lasted until 1881 All members of the community shared in work (making silverware) Every man was married to every woman in the community (called complex marriage or free love) Old women introduced young men to sex, while old men did the same for young women (to avoid pregnancies) Efforts were made to breed more perfect children by careful selection of breeding partners; children were then raised by the community rather than by specific parents Community reached maximum size of about 300

Brook Farm Founded in 1841, near west Roxbury, MA Transcendentalist community Citizens would share all labor, be each others intellectual stimulation Community collapsed economically after being destroyed by fire in 1847

Shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing Founded by Ann Lee (who Shakers believed to be the Second Appearing of Christ) in England; offshoot of the Quakers No marriage allowed, lifelong celibacy required Shakers would adopt orphans to keep communities alive All work and living quarters were divided by sex, but the sexes were equals Peaked in mid 1800s with about 6000 members, today only 3 known practitioners in the US

Tent Revivals Traveling ministers would set up tents and preach, often for up to a week at the time Singing, prayers, and motivational sermons, were all designed to whip up the crowd into emotional protestations of faith

Benevolent societies Developed in large cities and towns to spread Protestant Christianity Soon began to focus on social issues such as temperance, prison reform, education reform, and abolitionism

Revivalism and abolition Most revivalists were also staunch supporters of the abolitionist movement Taught that slavery was sinful; slavery destroys the soul of the master while it destroys the body of the slave

Cultural Movements of Early 1800s

Neoclassical architecture Revival of Greek and Roman styles US modeled itself after the Roman Republic and the democratic ideals of ancient Greece Sometimes called the “Federal” style in the US

The White House Built 1792 – 1800 Burned during War of 1812, but restored by 1817 Built onto in 1824, 1829, 1901, 1927, and 1946 In 1950s, entire structure was rebuilt with a steel frame from the inside, out when it was found to be collapsing!

US Capitol Built 1793 – 1811 Burned during War of 1812, but restored by 1819 Expanded between 1826 and 1863; small dome was added but soon replaced by the larger dome seen today

Monticello Built 1768 – 1809 Charlottesville, VA Home of Thomas Jefferson – he designed it himself Today, it is the only private home designated as a World Heritage Site by the UN

Alexis de Tocqueville 1805 – 1859 French Author of Democracy in America Toured US for 2 years observing how democracy was creating a uniquely “American” culture Determined America was a society where hard work and money-making was what drove people, where commoners never deferred to their “betters”, and where individualism was admired. Forerunner to “The American Dream”

Noah Webster 1758 – 1843 Published his first dictionary in 1806 In 1826, published his “American” dictionary where he provided new American spellings of English words and included thousands of distinctly American words

Romanticism Artistic and literary movement that advocated feeling over reason, inner spirituality over external rules, individual over society, and nature over human-made environments

Hudson River School of Artists American artists who focused on painting distinctly American landscapes – canyons, rivers, scenes of wild, untamed frontiers Popular throughout 1800s

Washington Irving 1783 – 1859 Wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip van Winkle Usually wrote under a pseudonym Perfected the short story as a true literary artform 27

Edgar Allan Poe 1809 – 1849 “Master of the Macabre” Wrote many poems and short- stories in the horror genre: The Raven, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Tell-Tale Heart Married his 13 year-old cousin (he was 26) but she died at 15 Died of unknown causes (known to drink heavily) 28

James Fenimore Cooper 1789 – 1851 Wrote The Last of the Mohicans Wrote mostly about the frontier and relations between white settlers and Native Americans 29

Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804 – 1864 Wrote The Scarlet Letter Wrote largely on man’s tendency to sin, resulting in his work being called “dark romanticism” 30

Herman Melville 1819 – 1891 Wrote Moby Dick One of the only Romantic authors to not be very popular during his own lifetime 31

Walt Whitman 1819 – 1892 Free Verse Poet Best known for his work Leaves of Grass Works described as obscene in his own time because of sexual frankness, homosexual themes

Emily Dickinson 1830 – 1886 American poet Wrote thousands of poems Obsessed with death Broke rules of poetry concerning structure, rhyme, and capitalization Famous recluse – did not leave her home for the last 30 years of her life 33

Transcendentalism Literary and philosophical movement Emphasized individualism and self-reliance over religion People need to “transcend” (overcome) the limits of their mind to embrace beauty and truth Hated conformity and “followers” Modern Day Hipsters…

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882 Philosopher, lecturer, essayist, and poet Believed that all things were divine because all things were connected to God Strong belief in individualism

Henry David Thoreau 1817 – 1862 Author of Walden and Civil Disobedience Early environmentalist Abolitionist “That government is best which governs not at all” Opposed taxes

Margaret Fuller 1810 – 1850 Author Woman in the Nineteenth Century – first major feminist work published in US Believed in women’s rights to education and employment; wanted prison reform and an end to slavery Died in a shipwreck

“Penny Press” Mass produced daily newspapers which became affordable for common people Focused on reports of fires, crime reports, marriages, gossip, politics, local news

Godey’s Lady’s Weekly 1830 – 1898 Covered poetry, literature, and art primarily from women artists Included dress patterns, sheet music First magazine to copyright its material to prevent other publications from using it

Atlantic Monthly 1857 – Today Focused on literary and cultural trends Founded and run by famous writers of the time: Stowe, Emerson, Longfellow, etc. Has published everyone from Mark Twain to Martin Luther King

Harper’s Weekly 1857 – 1916 Featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor Became famous for its political cartoons by Thomas Nast