Second Great Awakening DBQ

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The reforming time period from 1775 to 1830 was full of changes. However, the “peculiar institution” and its changes was one of the most noteworthy. These years brought an increase in enslaved African Americans, but surprisingly, also freed ones. In this essay, both the unfortunate and fortunate groups of these people will be our focal point. If we could say that the massive expansion of slavery during this time period was due to a single cause or person, innumerous fingers would be pointed at Eli Whitney (349-50). Because of his ingenious cotton gin invention, people were able to say goodbye to the long hours of cotton processing (CH 14 discussion). Document C shows us the outcome of this – an enormous increase of slaves in numerous states from 1790 to 1830 (CH 14 discussion; 350). But that wasn’t the only reason for the great expanse – slaves were actually naturally reproducing as well (357). With these factors that were already swelling the slave count, …show more content…

Document E even shows how some people who were once slave owners were also now against slavery. On top of this, the Second Great Awakening was having an impact (328); due to the religious changes, people began to realize and acknowledge “the sin of slavery” (364). Also, abolitionists greatly aided the movement towards African American freedom in more ways than just speaking up – they also wrote. Document J showed a snippet of Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World in 1829, and it definitely displayed the passion that was felt towards the movement of equality and overcoming slavery. Furthermore other movements such as Congress’s law in 1808 that no longer allowed slaves from Africa to be brought to America (357), and the development of the American Colonization Society in 1817 that at least tried to help the Blacks by bringing them to Liberia (362), proved other steps towards the abolition of

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