AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Other Antebellum Reform Movements (Day 114/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of Other Reform Movements in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

1839 Methodist Camp Meeting, Wikimedia Commons

Fueled by changing conditions and inspired by the Second Great Awakening, reformers organized efforts to improve society in a variety of ways.

McGuffey’s First Reader, Wikimedia Commons

Reformers, such as Horace Mann, led efforts to establish a system of  publicly funded, universally accessible schools. There was also a shift from religious education to a broader range of topics, improved training for teachers, and higher education opportunities for women.

The State Penitentiary for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Wikimedia Commons

Another major area of focus for reformers was the harsh and inhumane conditions in prisons. Many penitentiaries were built to encourage moral instruction and repentance instead of just punishment for a crime.

Sketch of the first building at Georgia State Lunatic Asylum, The Moonlit Road

Dorothea Dix, after witnessing deplorable conditions and abuse of the mentally ill in prisons, advocated for publicly funded asylums and hospitals to treat and care for them as patients rather than as criminals.

In addition to the Temperance, Abolition, and Women’s Rights movements, reformers advocated for increased access to education and improved conditions in prisons and for the mentally ill.

Join me tomorrow as I explain “King Cotton” in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!