Nativist Movement Dbq Essay

The concept of prohibition was nothing new in 1919; it was part of the social reform movement that had been growing for nearly a decade, known as the temperance movement. It was similar to the movements of the middle of the 19th century, but differed from the ecclesiastical “Great Awakenings” that had surged periodically through the American colonies since their settling. Although it diverged in scope from these other movements they still shared a similar connection in goal, that of a “Dry” nation. By 1857, thirteen states had laws prohibiting the selling of alcohol within their borders. Following the Civil War, the desire for reform had lost its luster and a general yearning for normalcy gripped the nation. Thus the drive for alcohol prohibition lost most if not all its steam. However, near the turn of the century, it was once again gaining momentum. The growing middle class of the early 20th century introduced the Republic to a new breed of ideals in the form of the Progressive Movement. The Progressives viewed the power of the states as their platform to accomplish their goals. With strong supporters such as future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson they hoped to meet little or no resistance to their plans for the future and they utilized the law to the

There was a new wave of immigrants that had flooded the U.S which caused backlash of nativism amongst many American citizens. Nativists were opposed to the idea of allowing immigrants into the United States because they believed that outsiders would never be able to assimilate properly into their culture. Theodore Roosevelt and Randolph Bourne both had their own opinions on how the immigrants should try to fit in to American culture in order to be accepted by society.

There are the minority that argues that not all reform movements in the United States necessarily sought to expand democratic ideals, and they supported it with the naturalization act (Document D.) they argued that the naturalization act did not seek to expand democratic ideals in any way. Led by Samuel Morse of the Know-Nothing Party, the reformation made it so that any foreigner who came into the United States after changes to the law would not be allowed the right of suffrage, as shown in document D this contracted some core democratic ideals instead of expanding it. The idea most largely contradicted was liberty, being that liberty was not fully instated without full political freedom.

"There are few cases in history where a social movement of such proportions can be attributed to the work of a single individual" (Kovach) At the age of thirty-nine, a woman by the name of Dorothea Dix devoted the rest of her life as an advocate to the humane attitude toward the mentally ill. She traveled the world from state to state visiting each and every prison, almhouse, asylum, orphanage, and hidden hovel documenting everything and anything she saw. After her intricate study of what she had been a witness of she wrote a letter or "memorial" and presented it to a legislator she knew who would present it to each legislature in each state she had studied. Dorothea Dix was the pioneering force in the movement to reform the

In the 1820’s to the 1850’s, the Antebellum Reform Movement was created. It was an act of improvement, and self-change. “Reform movements in the United States sought to expand democratic ideals.” This quote is true because, democratic ideals are what the people want and a democracy is where people rule the government. Reform movements were created by the Second Great Awakening and it is where people tried to improve their lives. For example, no alcohol, expanding education, separating themselves from utopias, and womens suffrage. All these examples are ways to improve oneself, and spread democratic ideals.

Immigrants have been seeking salvation or just new opportunities in America for hundreds of years. Even Americans originally started off as immigrants. They came to settle in this New World to seek opportunities. These types of immigrants were white, strong, leaders and felt they were superior. In the mid nineteenth century, the “new” immigrants were also welcomed. According to President Grant, these “new” immigrants were the weak, broken, and crippled people who had nowhere else to go. Grant thought these “new” immigrants would ruin the tone of the American life into a more vulgarized tone now that these immigrants are filling up the jails and asylums (Document 4). They mostly came from

Gender inequality and slavery were the two biggest evils that reformers tried eliminating in the time period. The abolition of slavery had many reformers behind it. Two very important men trying to achieve this were Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, a white man, going to show there was support from all types of people. Two of the women’s rights advocates were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sarah Grimke. They both achieved great things to help out their cause. Although slavery and gender equality are arguably the most important evils in the time period there were still many other. One of these was alcohol. During the time period the Temperance

From being held against the inmate's will to being chained into cells. To the patients, in the mental hospitals, that had to endure neglect, abuse, and starvation. Dorothea Dix was a reformer that cared and tended to the needs of the mistreated. She did this gain better treatment and inequality for those who did not have a voice. Dix portrayed an important role of hospitals, reforming mental hospitals and insane asylums, and reform

The antebellum period was full of social reform movements based on the urge to eradicate evil and improve human conditions in society. Despite the attempt to deal with a wide variety of reforms to provide positive changes to society these reform movements were met with varying degrees of success. This essay will focus on five of the major social reform movements of that era discussing their accomplishments, failures and impacts on America as a whole. They are the reforms of abolition, women’s suffrage, temperance, institutional and educational reforms. The reform movements of the 1830’s and 1840’s were largely due to humanitarian reasons because of a period of Enlightenment in the previous century which emphasized rational over

The mid-nineteenth century was a significant period for the United States of America. During this time, there was westward expansion, industrialization, and population all rapidly increased. In addition to these, there were many reformers that attempted sought to “reform” the nation through movements. These movements contradicted traditional ideas and beliefs which is why it was hard to become and create such movements. The major movements of the mid-nineteenth century were temperance, education, prison, women’s rights, and antislavery.

“By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today” (PBS, nd). The result was the temperance movement. The Temperance movement was an anti-movement that swept across the country in the 1830s and 40s. The abolitionists tried to show that drinking alcohol was a sin and that the country needed to be cleansed. They called for a prohibition of alcohol. On January 17th, 1920, an amendment to the constitution was passed that banned the making, transporting, and selling of alcohol and other intoxicating beverages.

In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and

The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War

Early on, women took the lead in the prison reform and temperance movement. Those movements quickly led to a growing abolitionist movement, under the leadership of Emma Willard, Susan B. Anthony, and Carrie Chapman Catt led all reform movements in energy and ambition. Although their “Declaration of Rights of Women” failed to gain women the right to vote, the momentum led to a change in many state laws regarding women’s issues. Although the abolition of slavery was not successful, William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Beecher Stowe became wildly successful in gathering support. Idealistic communes such as found in New Harmony, Brook Farm, and Nauvoo spread the message reform, peace, and self-reliance for those seeking religious freedom. Since most of the incarcerated were the poor, this period of the “common man” sought to rectify all such moral ills. The reformers sought to equalize the social classes by providing a free and better education for the poor. This cause, espoused by Horace Mann and others, was instrumental in sparking the frame of education which would spread though the Untied States like wildfire. The populist movement comprised mainly of farmers met to discuss reform for the common agriculturalist. And although the immigrants fought against fierce prejudice from the nativists, they too found changes in public schools and modernized

The United States of America experienced several reform movements from 1825 to 1850. The reformers sought to improve religion, rehabilitation of criminals and mental patients, education, slavery, and women’s rights. Each demonstrated democratic ideals to the extent that the reformers sought to incorporate the values of liberty and equality into their reform movements to improve the quality of life but did so at the expense and dismay of others.