Dbq - Antebellum Era

As Americans entered the Antebellum era shortly after the Era of Good Feeling had ended, Americans sought to expand democratic ideals to result in equality, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A series of reform movements including religion, abolition, politics, temperance, and women's rights quickly spread throughout America in 1825-1850 to meet those democratic ideals religiously, socially, and politically that Americans had urged for. The Second Great Awakening was a major religious reform movement that sought to reacquire American's religious interest. From Massachusetts to Ohio educated ministers re-motivate religion which resulted in new religious groups as well as the diversity within religions. This religious revival called for people to show their faith to god with good deeds within society as well as acting with moral correctness. Charles G. Finney, a preacher during the Second Great Awakening, strongly believed that even “harlots, and drunkards, and infidels, and all sorts of abandoned characters” could be inspired and awakened to act with the moral correctness that was needed in America (Document B). This religious revival also led to community experiments where the society longed for a utopia which was almost impossible to achieve due to the fact that not everything can be made perfect. The Second Great Awakening quickly diffused through out the country and resulted in various other reforms that included political, social, and educated related movements. The Second Great Awakening shed a new light upon slavery since it spread the thought of equality. Abolition was really taken seriously and fought for within the era of Antebellum. Many Americans opposed of slavery and ended up revolting against it. Nat Turner lead a rebellion in 1831 with fellow slaves that resulted in the deaths of 55 whites and ended when the whites retaliated by massacring the slaves. When violent, radical, and even peaceful abolition such as Frederick Douglass'
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