The Second Great Awakening

Arising in the 1800s, it was one of the most significant occurrences in the history of American religion. Countless people were converted and many churches were changed and revived. Not only affecting religion, the movement influenced many other aspects such as prison reform, the women's rights movement, abolishment of slavery, advancements in literature, and reform in education. Women's roles in the church were greatly affected and they deeply encouraged the religious revival, setting up many organizations and charities.

A brilliant idealist and secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, he proposed the construction of better school houses, longer school terms, higher pay for teachers, and an expanded curriculum. His influence spread to other states and education in America was steadily improved.

To contribute to the education reform in America at the time, he provided improved text books. He was known as the "Schoolmaster of the Republic" and his books used by millions of children were partially designed to promote patriotism. He spent twenty years developing his notable dictionary, published in 1828, that aided the standardization of the American language. His efforts changed education in the US greatly and the pride of the nation grew.

An inspiring woman, she worked to better the treatment of the mentally ill and succeeded through her petition in 1843 to the Massachusetts legislature. Through first-hand experiences, she told of the terrible conditions of the insane asylums the mentally ill were forced to stay in. Her nonviolent actions and persistence were rewarded and the conditions were improved. Because of her effort, society came to realize that those people weren't abnormal on their own accord, but that they were in fact ill.

In the male dominated society, she was one of the most influential female suffragists of her time. She preached women's rights and was fearless towards the boundaries that set men and women apart in society. She willingly did things that people of the time would consider vulgar and inappropriate as to challenge society and improve women's positions in the nation. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she spoke at Seneca Falls and established the National Woman Suffrage Association and fought for women's equality. She was so inspiring that progressive women everywhere were called "Suzy Bs."

Along side Susan B. Anthony, she started the National Woman Suffrage Association and sought to increase women's rights in society. She strove to gain equality and the right to vote for women. Because of her shocking resistence against the submissive roles of women in the country, she encouraged many women and challenged the man's world. She was also present and spoke at Seneca Falls, a women's rights convention.

He was the first American novelist to make New World themes known worldwide through his writing. He wrote many great novels such as "The Spy" and "Leatherstocking Tales," and he also greatly influenced American literature of the time. His works were quite popular among Europeans and positively changed their views of Americans.

He was the first American author to win international recognition as a literary figure. He was quite successful during the 1800s and won much admiration from Europeans when they came across his nice writing style with bits of charm and humor. Some of his well-liked works included "The Sketch Book," "Rap Van Winkle," and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Europeans were surprised and pleased to find a talented American author and began to respect the New World more. He influenced American literature of his time and later on acted as a sort of ambassador between Europe and America.

He was a poet, mystic, transcendentalist, and a nonconformist. He was very idealistic and thought he should lessen his bodily wants in order to gain time for mediation. He is well-known for "Walden: Or Life in the Woods," published in 1854. His writings encouraged ideals in America and around the world, later inspiring great people such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent views.

He contributed to the transcendentalist movement in the 1830s as well and wrote a collection of poems entitled "Leaves of Grass" in 1855. His style was very passionate, romantic, and unconventional and he talked frankly about sex and love. His book was later banned in Boston. This change exposed America to a new style of literature.

He led a very tragic and dismal life and in result, his writing style was quite dark compared to the American literature during the 19th century. He was intrigued by the after life and Gothic elements and wrote with a morose style that contrasted greatly with the optimism of American culture. A new morbid and emotional feel became present in American literature through his works. Some notable writings of his include "The Raven," "The Gold Bug," and "The Fall of the House of Usher."

Spending much of his life near the sea, he often wrote of the South Seas, his most popular piece being Moby Dick. This imaginative and unconventional work however was not well liked at the time because Americans were more interested in a more direct writing style. It wasn't until years later that people realized that Moby Dick was a remarkable piece of literature.