What Was the Origin of 19th Century Reform Movements in the North? Who Participated in These Movements and Why?

What was the origin of 19th century reform movements in the North? Who participated in these movements and why?

While America was undergoing an "era of good feeling" there were many problems lying under the surface. These social ills were attacked many social reformers. In the years between 1820 and 1865 in the United States might be described as one long era of reform, marked by the predominant desire to purify individuals and society at large. The reform movements that arose during the antebellum period in America focused on many issues. Some of which would include temperance, Women’s Rights, and utopian societies.

The Temperance Movement was an attempt to eliminate the evils of alcohol. This movement was mostly bed by the same women involved in the women's rights movement. Groups such as the Washingtonian Temperance Society and the American Christian Temperance Union sought to save the American family by trying to get alcohol declared illegal. They also implemented reform programs for individuals who were considered drunks to work to uplift themselves and convert and recruit others to do the same.^[1] Those involved in the temperance movement were successful in getting some states to adopt state constitutional amendments banning alcohol.^[2]This movement continued until the passage of the 18th amendment in 1920.

Women's Rights was another topic that of interest for reformists. Women were considered so inferior to men that they were not allowed to obtain higher education, vote, or control their own property. This movement was led by the Grimke sisters who initially began with abolitionism, but then turned to attacking the subordinate position of women; noting that the position of women closely resembled that of a slave. ^[3]

Other core members of the movement included the three Quaker activists Lucretia Mott, Mary Ann McClintock, and Amy Post who joined middle-class woman Elizabeth Cady Stanton in organizing the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848.^[4]