Topic > The Role of Women in the Second Great Awakening

The antebellum market revolution and the Second Great Awakening marked a turning point for women's roles in the family, workplace, and society in the years 1815-1860. This was a result of women gaining greater prominence in churches and being honored for their roles in their families. Women became the main attendees of the new church and would therefore lead the way in shaping society, for example with the abolition of slavery. From 1815 to 1860, the antebellum market revolution and the Second Great Awakening had a great impact on the role of women, as they brought greater attention to everyday life and fought to increase equality of life for everyone in the nation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Second Great Awakening was a religious awakening that occurred in the early 19th century in the United States, which made religion a major focus of many people at the time. As churches experienced the most growth during this period, women became the churches' largest new members and played an important role in the revivals and reforms of the time. Charles Grandison Finney, a preacher, encouraged women to pray aloud and was one of the first preachers to embrace women in religion. Finney had commented on a conversion that occurred in 1831, which was the result of “conversation and prayer.” After this happened, the women's "hearts broke and she settled into joyful faith." The conversion allowed her to become a member of the church. This meeting allowed her to be brought back to the Christian faith she once believed in. Women were also given the responsibility of teaching their children morals and proper virtues at home. They were deemed suitable for this position as they no longer had the usual household chores, allowing them to have more time to teach their children. In the Sarony and Major painting, “The Happy Mother,” painted in 1846, a woman is shown with her two children. During this period, family size decreased and women typically married later. Women also spoiled their children, as they became the center of the home. Furthermore, Godey's 1845 Lady Book, a women's magazine, illustrated how women are "constituted as the first teachers of every human being" according to God. However, they are still "denied those privileges of instruction which can only enable them to fulfill the one's duty towards one's children." Women also experienced new job opportunities in factories, thanks to the transition to the market economy. However, the conditions in which they had to work were not favorable and the women had to work up to six days a week earning only a low wage. Harriet Farley described in the Lowell Offer, a newspaper that featured the jobs of textile girls, what it was like to work in the Lowell Textile Mill. She stated that it attracted "worthy, virtuous, intelligent and well-educated girls", which would be their first experience of independence. They worked to “get money, as much money, as fast as possible.” Although women were given new roles in society, African Americans were still subject to slavery, leading many to believe in abolition. In the image “Selling a Mother from Her Child,” a mother is separated from her child. This was done “very often, and frequently” as they “sold the mother while they kept her children.” By illustrating this, it was intended to support the fight against slavery, as many people considered it to be inhumane behavior..