The Second Great Awakening In the 1730s and 1740s1 American participation in church and religious activities increased. Popular Christian churches used the Bible to teach that all men are equal2 moral behavior determines worth3 and people can be saved through service to God. The 4Great Awakening5 happened mainly in New England6s traditional colonial religious groups. Ideas from this period influenced the American Revolution. After the American Revolution7 many people felt their churches and religious leaders needed more excitement and inspirational sermons. Through the first half of the 1800s8 religious activity peaked again9 called the 10Second Great Awakening.11 This time the movement was more widespread and had greater long-term effects on American society. Women participated in the Second Great Awakening more than men. Read the letters of 12Ruth1314 a fictional woman of the 1840s15 to learn more about the Second Great Awakening. Ruthie16 like many Americans in the 1800s17 joined a denomination and helped with the creation of many more. Other leaders of the Second Great Awakening18 like Phoebe Palmer19 emphasized reflecting on one20s own faith over testifying sins to others21 but also believed society would improve as more people studied their faith. Social Reform The beliefs of evangelicals led many to be active in social reform movements. A social reform movement is a group of people working toward making a change through law to improve the community. Americans influenced by the Second Great Awakening and the focus on fighting sin saw many issues around them to address. However22 not all evangelicals agreed on what social issues were 23sins.24 Popular causes that arose in the 1800s were the antislavery25 temperance26 and women27s rights movements. Other social reform efforts with significant faith-based participation included education28 orphaned children29 and prisons. Growth of Other Religious Groups Religious participation grew in the United States in the 1800s30 and not just from evangelism. Population growth and outreach activities helped increase membership in various religious communities31 including the Roman Catholic and Mormon churches. Some communities openly criticized the revivals and evangelical preachers. They questioned whether people would maintain promises made at a camp meeting once they returned to home and daily life. These groups focused on maintaining their traditional religious practices32 although many participated in social reform movements as well. Studying Social Reform Remember that primary sources are historical documents created at the time events occurred. Secondary sources are interpretations of the past and may include primary sources. To determine a document or artifact33s usefulness to studying history34 you must analyze it. When you analyze35 you closely study each part of a document36 from what you see in the document itself to the information around its creation. You should determine the author or creator37 the intended audience38 the format39 and the purpose of each item you study. Study the examples below. The document makes clear that enslaved persons were treated as property with no regard for them as people. This practice was unjust and inhumane. Though the importation of enslaved people from Africa was illegal as of January 140 180841 this document is evidence that sales and transfers within the United States were still widespread. The document is from 1844 and lists the 42human cargo43 of enslaved persons aboard the Brig Alo. Each person44s name45 gender46 and height is recorded. In Their Own Words As of 184047 there were nearly 2.5 million enslaved people in the United States. That number would grow to four million by 1860. Study these excerpts from slave narratives to learn about the family bonds48 spirituality49 forced labor50 misery51 and resistance by enslaved persons in the mid-1800s. Interviewers met and questioned each of these formerly enslaved persons in the 1930s. As you read what they said52 keep in mind that the interviewers were not trained in recording the speech patterns and language of others. They attempted to reproduce the spoken words of the people being interviewed. Family and Spirituality The words of these Americans teach us not only how terrible the living conditions were for an enslaved person53 but also the incredible strength of enslaved African Americans to develop community and culture to cope. About half the infants born to enslaved parents did not survive their first year of life. Adults and children alike suffered constant undernourishment. Because the domestic slave trade continued after 180854 families were torn apart or frequently under threat of separation. Enslaved people had no rights under U.S. law so neither marriages between enslaved persons nor children could stop a slaveholder from selling or trading members of a family. Slaveholders prioritized productivity over the well-being of enslaved persons. Occasionally55 actions that might be perceived as kind were really a way to try to make an enslaved person be more productive. For example56 a slaveholder could grant permission to a father to visit his wife and children living on another farm in exchange for productivity. Two-thirds of enslaved children grew up with both parents in the vicinity57 but those who did not sometimes had extended family nearby to care for them. Parents often named children after family members to maintain family ties even if separated. Sometimes strangers took over care for a child. Many notices asking for help locating an enslaved person state that the person ran away to reunite with family. Spirituality also played an important role in the lives of enslaved persons in the United States. Africans came to the United States with a variety of religious beliefs. Many were polytheistic. The Second Great Awakening affected the enslaved population as well as the free. Before the 1800s58 slaveholders feared the effect Christianity might have on the people they enslaved. Later59 they saw conversion to Christianity as a way to make enslaved persons more submissive. Some free African Americans became Baptist or Methodist preachers and started churches for those who were enslaved. Some enslaved persons felt they could relate to stories of suffering in the Bible. The words of their hymns spoke of having the strength to overcome severe distress. Many of these songs survive today. Storytelling was a way for enslaved families to teach children the values important to them and provided entertainment. Probably the most famous stories feature Br60er Rabbit61 who achieves his goals through his wits rather than strength62 sometimes breaking accepted rules. These stories and the music people sang can be traced back to Africa. Enslaved Labor The largest percentage of enslaved Africans worked on large farms63 growing cash crops like tobacco64 cotton65 indigo66 rice67 or sugarcane. They usually worked in groups and were supervised by an overseer who reported to the farm owner and could use physical punishment. Some worked on farms with less than 20 enslaved persons. They tended livestock and food crops. Some had training in ironworking68 tailoring69 or blacksmithing. Some worked specifically as household servants70 sewing71 preparing and serving food72 and cleaning. In addition73 people would hire enslaved people with particular skills from the slaveholder to help in shipyards74 factories75 or on other farms. The slaveholder was paid for all work completed. Due to family bonds76 most did not run away permanently. Instead77 running away was a form of resistance and an attempt to force the slaveholder to negotiate for personal garden plots78 or monetary rewards. Other forms of resistance designed to interfere with productivity included such acts as faking illness or breaking tools. Wherever they worked79 most enslaved people were forced to labor a minimum of 10 hours per day and up to 16 hours per day during planting or harvesting periods. Everyone participated in production80even the elderly81 handicapped82 and very young. Three-year-old boys and girls would carry water and complete other simple tasks. On a large farm83 children between seven and 12 years old would move to a cabin separate from their parents and begin intense work in the fields. Cotton Gin84Blessing and Curse Although slavery continued to persist85 people began to speak against the institution as early as the American Revolution. Northern states passed laws to end the practice86 and many Southerners believed their states would follow. However87 the 1792 invention of the cotton gin shattered the trend and set Southern states on a dangerous course with terrible consequences. With the cotton gin88 cotton production was now profitable across the South. Growing cotton still required intense work. Slaveholders believed that slavery was necessary to provide that labor. The value of enslaved persons increased. The more enslaved persons a cotton plantation had89 the more cotton could be grown and exported. The cotton was sent to Northern factories to be turned into cloth and traded overseas. With all of the profit to be made90 slaveholders feared financial loss and violence. Rebellions like the one that Nat Turner led in 1831 increased those fears. Turner led over 40 enslaved persons in a rebellion in Virginia. Their planned attack went from farm to farm and resulted in the killing of 55 people. After Nat Turner91s rebellion92 Southern states passed laws to exert control over the practice of slavery. For example93 South Carolina passed a law making it illegal to emancipate94 or free95 enslaved persons slaves without permission from the state. Teaching enslaved persons to read or write was a punishable crime in most Southern states. Literacy increased the risk of rebellion and of enslaved persons attempting escape. At the same time96 the antislavery movement was growing in Northern states. Some religious and political leaders said slavery was a moral evil and violated Christian values. Southern slaveholders returned the attack. They claimed they provided enslaved persons all their physical needs throughout life. They accused Northern factory owners of failing to care properly for their workers. Numerous people in the North actively participated in promoting the anti-slavery movement. Abolition supporters suffered violence for their beliefs as well. Not all people in Northern states agreed with ending slavery or helping enslaved persons. Northern states made profits from Southern slave labor97 too. The cotton sent to Northern factories was turned into cloth and sold back to the Southern states and around the world. How would the North and South be affected by the emancipation of enslaved persons98 Both the North and South would have been hurt economically99 at least in the short term. The South earned profits from selling the cotton. The North earned profits from selling the cloth made from Southern cotton. If enslaved persons were emancipated100 farm owners would be required to pay wages101 which would make the cost of growing cotton rise. If it cost more to grow the cotton102 Northern states would have to pay more to buy it. The Northern cloth would then cost more to make103 and other countries might look for a cheaper product.

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