Second Great Awakening Dbq Essay

Words: 833
Pages: 4

The lives and status of American middle-class women have severely varied over the past two centuries. Before the American Revolution, women had very limited rights; in fact, women were basically extensions of their husbands, seeing as they were declared civilly dead during marriage. (Doc O) They had no individual rights, and could not carry out any legal redress without their husband’s consent or name. (Doc A) This way of life continued for women before three major events occurred, creating a change in the female community. Through the events of the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Second Great Awakening, the lives of Northern middle-class women changed significantly between 1776 and 1848, but their status only changed …show more content…
These reform movements were especially dominated by women because reformed religion stressed the spiritually of women and legitimized their roles outside of the house. This gave women the opportunity to take on roles that aided in fighting for a greater cause. For example, women campaigned for more rights of their own at the Seneca Falls Convention and National Woman’s Rights Convention, which were spurred by the Second Great Awakening. (Doc P) This religious revival started to question the institution of mental care as well. Dorothea Dix, one pioneering woman, petitioned for the improved care of the mentally ill. As shown, the Second Great Awakening significantly changed the lives of women even though it did not significantly change their status. The campaign for women’s suffrage may have started during the Second Great Awakening at the Seneca Fall Convention, but did not change until the Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1920. The status of women did not change greatly during the Second Great Awakening since they did not rise up in society. Middle-class northern women had varying roles throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but their status did not improve much during those