Reform Movements 1815-1850

History

The movement which sought to end slavery

Abolition movement

The movement which sought to end slavery. Abolition movement. The abolition movement was a historical campaign to end the practice of slavery and free all enslaved people.

An abolitionist society founded by William L. Garrison and Arthur Tappan

American Anti-Slavery Society

An abolitionist society founded by William L. Garrison and Arthur Tappan. American Anti-Slavery Society. It was a group dedicated to ending slavery in the United States.

The first well-known white female advocates of abolition of slavery and women's rights

Angelina and Sarah Grimke

The first well-known white female advocates of abolition of slavery and women's rights Angelina and Sarah Grimke. Angelina and Sarah Grimke were sisters who spoke out against slavery and for women's rights in the 19th century.

An educator known for her forthright opinions on female education

Catharine Beecher

An educator known for her forthright opinions on female education. Catharine Beecher. She was a 19th-century advocate for women's education and the founder of the Hartford Female Seminary.

A Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening

Charles Grandison Finney

A Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening, Charles Grandison Finney. He was a key figure in the 19th-century religious revival movement in America.

A movement with a goal to create a universal standard for state education

Common-school movement

A movement with a goal to create a universal standard for state education. Common-school movement. In history, the common-school movement aimed to provide free, universal, and non-sectarian education to all children in America.

A document signed at the first women's rights convention to be organized by women

Declaration of Sentiment

A document signed at the first women's rights convention to be organized by women. Declaration of Sentiment. The Declaration of Sentiments was a statement advocating for women's rights, presented at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention.

A woman who created the first generation of American mental asylums

Dorothea Dix

A woman who created the first generation of American mental asylums. Dorothea Dix. Dorothea Dix was a pioneering advocate for the humane treatment of the mentally ill in the 19th century.

A writer and poet, regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the U.S.

Edgar Allan Poe

A writer and poet, regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the U.S., Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic tales and pioneering detective fiction in the 19th century.

A suffragist, social activist, abolitionist, and pioneer of women's rights movement

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A suffragist, social activist, abolitionist, and pioneer of women's rights movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader who worked to gain voting rights for women in the United States.

A poet, regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry

Emily Dickinson

A poet, regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Emily Dickinson was a reclusive 19th-century poet known for her innovative and introspective verse.

A social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman

Frederick Douglass

A social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was a former enslaved person who became a leading voice in the fight against slavery in the 19th century.

An American abolitionist and political activist, she rescued around 70 enslaved people

Harriet Tubman

An American abolitionist and political activist, she rescued around 70 enslaved people. Harriet Tubman was a key figure in the Underground Railroad, leading many to freedom before the Civil War.

A naturalist, essayist, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist

Henry David Thoreau

A naturalist, essayist, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau. He was an American thinker who advocated for simple living and civil disobedience in the 19th century.

A poet whose works include Paul Revere's Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A poet whose works include Paul Revere's Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He was a famous American poet who wrote stories that celebrated American history and culture.

A educational reformer known for his commitment to promoting public education

Horace Mann

A educational reformer known for his commitment to promoting public education. Horace Mann. He is considered the father of American public education.

A nativist political party and movement in the U. S.

Know-Nothing Party

A nativist political party and movement in the U. S.. Know-Nothing Party. The Know-Nothing Party was an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic political group in the 1850s.

An abolitionist and women's rights activist who co-wrote the Declaration of Sentiments

Lucretia Mott

An abolitionist and women's rights activist who co-wrote the Declaration of Sentiments. Lucretia Mott. She was an American reformer dedicated to ending slavery and advancing women's rights in the 19th century.

An abolitionist, suffragist, and advocate and organizer promoting of women’s rights

Lucy Stone

An abolitionist, suffragist, and advocate and organizer promoting of womens rights. Lucy Stone. She was a key figure in the women's suffrage movement who fought for equal rights in the 19th century.

A Presbyterian minister and a co-founder of the American Temperance Society

Lyman Beecher

A Presbyterian minister and a co-founder of the American Temperance Society. Lyman Beecher was an influential 19th-century American clergyman who advocated for temperance and social reform.

A women's rights advocate associated with the transcendentalism movement

Margaret Fuller

A women's rights advocate associated with the transcendentalism movement, Margaret Fuller. She was a pioneering feminist and intellectual who championed gender equality in the 19th century.

A women's suffragist, Native American rights activist, abolitionist, and author

Matilda Joslyn Gage

A women's suffragist, Native American rights activist, abolitionist, and author Matilda Joslyn Gage. Matilda Joslyn Gage was a key figure in the fight for women's voting rights in the United States.

A class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy

Middle class

A class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy. Middle class. The middle class historically refers to people with moderate income and education who typically work in professional or skilled jobs.

A novelist, dark romantic, and short story writer

Nathaniel Hawthorne

A novelist, dark romantic, and short story writer. Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was an American author known for exploring themes of sin, guilt, and morality, often set in Puritan New England.

People who support the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants

Nativists

People who support the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants are called nativists. In history, nativists often opposed immigration, believing it threatened their culture or economic stability.

An essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement

Ralph Waldo Emerson

An essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key figure in 19th-century American literature and thought, advocating for individualism and nature's spiritual importance.

A Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the U. S.

Second Great Awakening

A Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the U.S. The Second Great Awakening was a movement that increased enthusiasm for religion and social reforms, like abolition and temperance.

The first women's rights convention, social, civil, and religious rights were discussed

Seneca Falls

The first women's rights convention, social, civil, and religious rights were discussed. Seneca Falls. Seneca Falls is where the first women's rights convention took place in 1848, marking the beginning of the organized women's rights movement in the United States.

Born Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist

Sojourner Truth

Born Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Sojourner Truth. She was a powerful advocate for the end of slavery and for women's rights in the 19th century.

A women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement

Susan B Anthony

A women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony was a key figure in the fight for women's right to vote in the United States.

A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages

Temperance movement

A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movement. The temperance movement was a significant social and political campaign in the 19th and early 20th centuries aimed at limiting or prohibiting alcohol consumption.

A multi-occupancy building, adapted or built for the working class

Tenement

A multi-occupancy building, adapted or built for the working class tenement. In history, a tenement is a type of apartment building common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, often crowded and poorly maintained, housing many urban working-class families.

An educator and the founder of the American School for the Deaf

Thomas Gallaudet

An educator and the founder of the American School for the Deaf, Thomas Gallaudet. He was a pioneer in the education of the deaf in the United States.

A philosophical movement that believes in the power of the individual

Transcendentalism

A philosophical movement that believes in the power of the individual. Transcendentalism. It is a 19th-century American movement that emphasized self-reliance, nature, and personal intuition over societal norms.

A network of secret routes used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states. Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret system that helped slaves escape to freedom in the 19th century.

An imagined community that possesses perfect qualities for its citizens

Utopian

An imagined community that possesses perfect qualities for its citizens. Utopian. In history, "utopian" refers to an ideal society that is perfect or too good to be true.

A poet and essayist, one of the most influential poets in the American canon

Walt Whitman

A poet and essayist, one of the most influential poets in the American canon. Walt Whitman. He is known as a key figure in American literature, celebrated for capturing the spirit of the nation through his poetry.

One of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society

William Lloyd Garrison

One of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, William Lloyd Garrison. He was a prominent abolitionist who fought against slavery in the United States.