Reform movements

The American people from 1820 to 1860 found themselves living in an era of transition and instability. The society they lived in was changing and traditional views and values were being challenged. The response to this period of uncertainty was a movement towards reform and an ever increasing desire for order and control amongst the people. The largest driving force for reform was the nation's commitment to progress and development and other vehicles of reform included burgeoning religious sects and philosophies. Reform movements in education, an influx of immigrants, as well as a rapid increase in technology and population nurtured the growth of industry and urban life throughout America.
Under the age of reform, all aspects of society and the way people thought began to slowly shift. This shift was encouraged primarily by religion and the establishment of several sects and organizations. Groups such as the Transcendentalists and Unitarians believed in the essential goodness of human...