Chapter 12 - The Fires of Perfection

Now I remember why I didn't blog this chapter last year. I strongly dislike social chapters, I die a little inside every time I read one.

The useless section in the beginning of the chapter, the double-spaced one, is just trying to convey how the spiritual reform movements of this time varied and were basically unorganized. It has a slightly hypocritical tone to it I don't approve of. A high school textbook is no place for an individual to preach (albeit subtly) their own personal opinions, but obviously that's become acceptable.

I. Revivalism and the Social Order

Society was changing so quickly during this time that people felt the need to turn toward religion for stability and moral order. Some religious reformers during this time sought to create experimental Utopian communities, but they never worked. Sort of like socialism.

A. Finney's New Measures

Charles Finney was famous for being exceptionally charismatic and radical. He carried a casual attitude toward standard religious doctrine, which separated him from more of the conservative spiritual reformers. He used so-called "new measures", which included protracted meetings and the use of an "anxious bench" (aka humiliation which, presumably, lead to a forced, fake conversion. Just saying.) What is important is that Finney and reformers like him wanted individuals to undergo an emotionally wrenching conversion experience and be reborn.

B. The Philosophy of the New Revivals

Finney rejected predestination. Apparently predestination seemed unreasonable to a generation of people who grew up being told they were individuals and capable of achieving anything. Finney embraced the doctrine of free will, which stated that all men and women who wanted to be saved could be saved. Finney changed direction slightly, and began to preach on the idea of human perfectibility, which is labeled perfectionism. He claimed that human beings should not rest until they were as perfect as God. Many supports of the Second Great Awakening (such as Lyman Beecher) believed Finney had gone too far and was leaning toward heresy. But Finney didn't care. He was Charles Finney, master of emotional manipulation, ruler of the common people.

C. Religion and the Market Economy

The draw toward religion was stronger in areas centered around a market economy than frontier towns, especially in the North. Rochester is not important, just remember that "religion helped bring order to what had been a chaotic and fragmented city". This idea is explained perhaps 294 times during this chapter, so in case you miss this one, don't worry. There will be another. Anyway, many workers were converted during this time, particularly by the Methodist church. Evangelical Protestantism reinforced values needed to succeed in the new competitive economy. Many employers encouraged workers to embrace religion, as toning back their drinking habits would probably make them more productive.

D. The Rise of African American Churches

African Americans were tired of being treated like second-class worshipers, so they branched out to create their own churches. Knowing Richard Allen's name is important, as well as knowing about the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Black churches were suppressed in the South, for obvious reasons.

E. The Significance of the Second Great Awakening

Evangelical Protestantism became the most dominant form of Christianity in America. Church memberships soared, though the Methodists were the largest. "Evangelicalsim was in harmony with the basic values of early-nineteenth-century Americans". Whatever that actually means. The revivals reinforced the American belief in democracy and equality.

II. Women's Sphere

Women played a large role in the religious expansion and outnumbered male converts by about three to two.

A. Women and Revivalism

Arranged marriages went out of style, though what this has to do with anything, I'm not sure. Basically, everyone turned to religion to deal with their own uncertainty, and the book relates that to everyone it possibly can in this chapter. Just wait.
When women joined churches, they got to meet more people, which broadened their chances for marriage.

B. The Ideal of Domesticity

There was increased pressure on wives and mothers during this time, for some reason. There was a greater distinction between the workplace and the home, as is illustrated by the idea of "domesticity". Check this out for more. Anyway, women were held to a higher moral standard and pressured to instill these moral values upon their husbands and their children. Women were held to a higher (double) standard of sexual purity. Catherine Beecher is important, because she argued that women exercised power as moral guardians of the nation's future. She wrote books on efficient home management. If she was alive today, she'd have a talk show. Women joined "sisterhoods" which were glorified group therapy sessions. But they did help to sustain reform movements launched by women to aid females of the lower class.

Victorianism was the ideal that women were supposed to devote more of their time to raising their children and domestic duties. It was popular in England. The book is just trying to prove that this new womens' "movement" wasn't unique to America.

C. The Middle-Class Family In Transition

During this time period, families became smaller and more private, as the family was increasingly seen as a shelter from the outside world. Fewer children contributed to a decline in the birth rate. Families were also smaller as children became more expensive to raise. Also, fewer children meant that parents could tend more carefully to their child's success.

III. American Romanticism

Ralph Waldo Emerson. That about sums it up. Romanticism began in Europe as a reaction against the Enlightenment and focused on the natural world. It overflowed into many works of literature during this time.

A. Emerson and Transcendentalism

Transcendentalists are "hard to define", but they were a group of people born out of the ideas of Romanticism who emphasized feeling and emotion over reason. They wanted to "rise above reason and beyond the material world". They emphasized the importance of the individual in society, spread a sense of optimism. American literature takes off during this time.

B. The Clash between Nature and Civilization

James Cooper- the first distinctive American novelist (I don't think this is an MC). The Romantics during this time were concerned that the spread and advance of civilization would destroy the natural simplicity of the land. Henry David Thoreau is another important author (Walden) who argued that a person can only find true freedom and independence from nature. He denounced materialism and greed.

C. Songs of the Self-Reliant and Darker Loomings

Walt Whitman (is my favorite person ever) however, embraced American society in its varied forms, and he gained inspiration from the common people. Get a copy of Leaves of Grass. Some authors during this time were more angst-ridden and depressive, such as Melville and Hawthorne. However, most people preferred Emerson's optimistic view of this time period.

IV. The Age of Reform

"The quest for perfection often proved hard to control." This section talks basically about the radical sub-sections of Romanticism and the pursuit of perfection.

A. Utopian Communities

Many people sought to create so-called 'utopian communities' which could demonstrate the possibilities of perfection. Know Brook Farm and the Oneida Community, as well as the Shakers.

B. The Mormon Experience
(Excuse me while I die of laughter.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith, who was walking in the woods one day when God decided to reveal His new plan for the universe to him alone. Joesph Smith then found these golden tablets that God had given him. He had a translation made into the Book of Mormon, written by five people who could not read/write in Hebrew. Oh, but I learned from my roomie that only some are polygamous. This isn't what the book says, but this is all you need to know.

C. Socialist Communities

These communities were based on science and reason rather than religion. Robert Owen started the New Harmony colony as a socialist experiment. He believed that the character of individuals was shaped by their surroundings and that by changing those surroundings, one could change human character. The settlement however had difficulties and split. No one really cared about socialist experiments in the United States back in the day, but it seems like we might today.

D. The Temperance Movement

This movement sought to change society instead of shying away from it entirely. It aimed to eliminate the social costs of drinking (broken families, abuse and neglected wives and children, sickness and disability, poverty, and crime) by curbing alcohol consumption. The movement was originally focused drunkenness and did not oppose moderate drinking. But then the American Temperance Society was born, and decided abstinence was key. The temperance movement was the most successful and longest lasting of the reform movements during this time period. It actually had significant support in the South, surprisingly. The South never supports anything.

Um

Hey everyone.

So it looks like I got lazy this time last year. I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THIS FACT. I don't have any documents for Chapter 9 and 10.

Here are the links for the textbook reviews, in case you haven't looked at something:

Chapter 9: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073406848/student_view0/chapter9/chapter_overview.html

Chapter 10: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073406848/student_view0/chapter10/chapter_overview.html

This isn't nearly anywhere what I want to be able to give you all. I'm sorry my work ethic sucked this time last year. But come on, seriously? No wonder I didn't put a post up for this, because Chapter 10 is a SOCIAL chapter. I despise social chapters. That's probably the reason.

If anyone has any specific questions that need clarifying tonight, just call/Facebook me, I'll be up forever because I haven't studied for anything for tomorrow. But 4am is an unreasonable time.

PS: I might be continuing the blog past chapter 12, just a thought.