Why did a broad social reform movement expand during the 1850s? Why did white women play a prominent role in the movement?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Explain that the Second Great Awakening increased Christian piety in the U.S., leading to a social reform movement.
2. Note that Evangelicals emphasized "practical Christianity." Those who were truly among the saved, they maintained, must through their deeds oppose sin and save others.
3. Discuss that Black evangelicals, in particular, called for "a liberating faith" applied in ways that advanced material and spiritual well-being.
4. Discuss that this emphasis on action led during the 1810s and 1820s to the Benevolent Empire, a network of church-related organizations.
5. Conclude that the Benevolent Empire launched what is now known as antebellum or Jacksonian reform.
6. Conclude that because women were churchgoers and embodied the values of family, they became active as reformers, forming voluntary associations to fix the ills of America, including women's rights reform.