Antebellum Periods and Reforms

A detailed Summary of Antebellum Periods and Reforms

The Ante-bellum Period and The Reforms

The overwhelming number of reforms in the ante-bellum period was a result the rapid change that was occurring around the country. These changes were seen in economics, politics and society. Americans reacted in a nationwide panic which created doubts of the goodness of the changes America was going through. The institution and then rise of the market economy and the Second Great Awakening had the greatest effect on America. The effect of these two things brought on many reforms by many different people in various aspects of America.

Market economy had a significant change in all politics, economics, and society. The market economy is "where men and women grew crops and produced goods for sale at home or abroad... The money that individuals received from market transactions.....purchased items from produced by other people."1 This system was a devised so each person following could produce goods for a profit. America's economy was probably the most effected out of the three country functions. Market economy started many improvements in America through industrialization. New interventions in transportation and technology had a major effect on the pace in which America functioned. Tran

sportation flourished with the building of railroads, canals, and a National road. Technology also significantly throve with inventions as the steamboat and the telegraph. There was a definite rise in cities as population rapidly increased. These cities were mostly industrial cities and contained a large immigrant population. Immigrants created a lot of competition in the economic world because as population grew, it became more and more difficult to get a job, and the immigrants were willing to work for low wages unlike many Americans. Market economy encouraged wage labor which was a form of specialization. Many people were incorporated in this system being paid so much for parts. This resulted in factories which brought the individual parts under one roof. One of the last things coming out of all these rapid changes was the constant boom and bust cycles. There were many times that production would exceed the demand and then prices would go decrease going resulting in a depression because of people who relied on these items profits.

In the ante-bellum period, there was an increasing number of feminism. Woman's roles during this time period largely changed and this is what caused the Woman's Right Movement. Woman used to have one role in society which was that of the housewife. With the market economy, there were more opportunities for women. Women were allowed to work and it became increasingly easier for women to support themselves. Women were allowed to own property with new laws that were passed, in addition to being allowed to divorce their husbands. The average number of children dropped and woman were given more time. They were also given more respect as they were essential to America's future. They were thought to be self-sacrificing republicans if they could raise their children in an environment of education, religion, and arts. Since the respect of women and the their leisure time was rising, women craved more and more social equality. They played a significant role in the Second Great Awakening. They took the idea of "self-improvement" and used their time to create a bond amongst their sex. The

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Approximate Word count = 1434
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History