Chapter twelve Notes the Fires of Perfection
Lyman Beecher: reverend, preached against dancing, drinking, dueling, infidelity, wanted bring Christ to USA, thought of 1000 yr millennium of peace predicted in Bible, would begin with USA, was Yale student, son of Blacksmiths 1775, in 2nd great awakening it came to his college 1802, was on of those converted, had 11 children, one of many, many association made, American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions, American Bible Society, American Tract Society, denounced Unitarians who rejected divinity of Jesus, denounced gambling, cards, drinking, Catholicism, nuns and priests devious agents of antichrist, reforms antagonized immigrants enjoyed such things, when Beecher church was on fire 1830, firefighters stood by did nothing
Charles Grandison Finney: 1821 abandoned law teaching for church, ordained Presbyterian church, attracted attention when did spectacular revivals in 1820s and 30s in port city of Erie Canal, good speaker, prayed for sinner by name, encouraged women to testify in public, put ones struggling with conversion on front bench, convinced men had go through gut wrenching inner change, but not miracle but scientific result right use constituted means,
Perfectionism: with people all believing could be accepted by God, began preaching people should strive be as perfect as God and true Christian not rest until society pure to
Rochester, NY: booming flour milling center on Erie Canal was one area where revival audiences were drawn to, Finney came to town winter of 1830-31, gown in around 15 yrs from village 300-20000, massive divisions, large working class, and saloon prostitute culture, Finney transformed town, preached 6 months daily, doubled church participation, brought order
Revivalism: appealed middle class, lawyers, merchants, retailers, manufacturers, mobile citizens, large role in market, factories, railroads, afraid losing everything with boom bust cycle, religion provided way to cope with tensions, workers increased after depression 1839, Methodist instilled ideals hard work, frugality, sobriety appealed, church allowed to ascend in status
Richard Allen: was popular black preacher, tired of being 2nd class worshipper, when praying one day 1787, interrupted, white usher told him could not pray in area, Allen and other black members of congregation walked out, 1794 organized Bethel Church AA could worship without discrimination
African Methodist Episcopal Church: early 19th century, in south slave owners suppressed such churches after 1820, in north continued to grow, AME organized 1816, in 1836 had 7500 members, 20 yrs later about 20000, black Baptist growth was future and in south after emancipation
Ideal of Domesticity: it was place where women escape competition and speedy workplace, separate man women lives
Separate spheres: sexual spheres, endorsed by clergy, women converted in largest number, women meant stay home and teach children and husbands, morally stronger higher standard sexual purity, men not condemned, but women if were unfaithful or premarital sex everlasting disgrace, submerge identity in husband’s
Catherine Beecher: like most women, did not see rationale in ideology male dominance, argued women exercised power as moral guardians of nations future, middle class household care important, wrote several books on subject, pushed women have greater educational opportunities, said should become teachers, because only extension of home, since women affection for children and discipline would make them ideal teachers,
Sisterhood: women gave much moral support family members then they received, depended greatly upon other women, made sisterhood, common sense of identity and shared experiences, helped keep reforms launched by women to aid women of lower class
Birth rate/abortion/marriage: women began wanting smaller families as they married later in life, women used birth control to further put space apart between children, also mother began resorting abortion, estimates are 1 abortion for every 5-6 births, before 1860, drop birth rate, from little more 7 child family 1800 to 5.4 in 1850, 25% drop, drop more abrupt 1830, correlated with family success ethic, before needed on farm ect. Now to success needed greater education and special training to be success, so they were greater financial burden on family, middle class extended education, equalized inheritance rather than favor eldest son or sons over daughters
Romanticism: intellectual movement, criticized Unitarians, began in Europe as reaction against Enlightenment, rom. emphasized importance of emotion and intuition as sources of truth, rather than reason, gloried potential individual who could soar if not constrained by institutions, sympathized with oppressed,
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Unitarian, taught Harvard Divinity School, July 1838 addressed students, warned lifeless preaching, church stupid, asked if man truly made sensible enough to have infinite soul, left students ponder message
Transcendentalism: mid 1830s, when Unitarian clergy resigned pulpits, protested church’s smug, lifeless teachings, sought spiritual communion with nature, transcend to rise above, mainly above reason and material world, every human contained spark of divinity, shared Romanticism glorification of individual, denied existence of evil,
Margaret Fuller: attracted to Transcendentalist Club, Boston intellectual, come back to
Bronson Alcott: see Margaret Fuller,
James Fenimore Cooper/Leather stocking Tales/wilderness: LST was series of five novels written between 1823-1841, clash nature and civilization, hero in novel Natty Bumppo, self reliant frontiersmen who represented nobility and innocence of wilderness, portrayed culture of frontier threat to civilization Cooper prized highly, Natty Bumppo stand between civilization and savagery not comfortable with either,
Henry David Thoreau/ Walden/ individualism: used nature as backdrop, explore conflict between unfettered individual and constraints of society, grew up Concord MA, 1845 build cabin edge of Walden Pond, living relative solitude 16 months demonstrate advantage self reliance, basis classic novel Walden, argued only in nature find true independence, rejected any institution that contradicted his personal sense of right,
Walt Whitman/ Songs of Myself/ democracy: journalist and laborer of NYC, inspired by common people, used peoples manners, speech, dress, friendships in Leaves of Grass, 1855, made poem not meter or rhyme, with frank imagery and sexual references, exalted emotions, nature, individual, endowed ideas more joyous democratic spirit,
Nathaniel Hawthorne/Scarlett Letter: lived life in Concord, unable partake Emerson sunny optimism, and repelled by self-centered outlook of Thoreau, wrote of power of the past to shape future generations and consequences of pride, selfishness, envy, and secret guilt, SL 1850 set in NE Puritan era, Hawthorne spun the tale of Hester Prynne, who bore illegitimate child, of Puritan neighbors condemned her, like puritans no illusions about creating world without evil, rejected American belief person or nation could free self from past
Herman Melville/ Moby Dick/ nature’s destructive power: MD 1851, drew from youthful experiences aboard whaling ship, novel Captain Ahab relentlessly drives his ship in pursuit great white whale Moby-Dick, Melville says Ahab becomes powerful symbol of American character, prototype ruthless businessman despoiling nature’s resources in his pursuit for success, Ahab Emerson’s self reliant man, but in him, self reliance is transformed into monomania that eventually destroys his ship, its crew, and himself, noted dilemma romanticism, how could America society be made perfect, if based on self interested materialism and individualism
