Second Great Awakening DBQ

The influence of the Second Great Awakening played a huge role in social reforms in the United States. Between 1825 through 1850, society in the United States was changing due to transitions and the desire for control and order. People found themselves living in social instability and in a society were values were being challenged. Because of the Second Great Awakening, it encouraged an excitement of evangelicalism that led to a movement towards reforms. These movements brought up various issues such as prison reforms, temperance, woman's suffrage's, and the crusades to abolish slavery which would then lead to an expansion of a democratic life in America. The humane treatment of individuals in American society focused for democratic ideals.
The goal of this movement was to reduce or even ban the consumption of alcohol. Before the movement, people saw that because of the consumption of alcohol, it decreased the efficiency of labor, increased the danger of accident in the workplace, destroyed families, and physically harmed the women and children. From the "Drunkards Progress/From The First Glass To The Grave," (doc. H) it shows the nine stages of the consequences of drinking. Just after the first stage, it would lead to terrible consequences such as married men flirting with other women (stage 2), poverty and disease (stage 6), and even death and suicide (stage 9). Also, under the bridge of drinking stages, we see a woman and her child crying outside of their burning home, which might have been caused by the drunken husband. And because of the temperance movement, it was able to show society the evil of hard liquor and create stronger ideals of
Because of this, women were given no rights such as voting, property owning, and higher education. But the Second Great Awakening gave some women more strength to reform and demand right. Then in 1848, the Seneca Falls was the beginning of a feminist movement (doc. I). From this document, women formed an assembly to gain equal rights as men. They argued that they should have the right to be free and read a "Declaration of Sentiments" that proposed that "all men and women are created equal." They believed that laws created for women were unfair and disgraceful and that they should be represented in the government. Also, women argued that they should have the right to vote because they are part of the American society. And because of the Seneca Falls, it was the first step to equality upon men and