Reform Movements In Education example essay topic

The American people from 1820 to 1860 found themselves living in an era of transition and instability. The society they lived in was changing and traditional views and values were being challenged. The response to this period of uncertainty was a movement towards reform and an ever increasing desire for order and control amongst the people. The largest driving force for reform was the nation's commitment to progress and development and other vehicles of reform included burgeoning religious sects and philosophies. Reform movements in education, an influx of immigrants, as well as a rapid increase in technology and population nurtured the growth of industry and urban life throughout America.

Under the age of reform, all aspects of society and the way people thought began to slowly shift. This shift was encouraged primarily by religion and the establishment of several sects and organizations. Groups such as the Transcendentalists and Unitarians believed in the essential goodness of humanity, a God of love, and emphasized the emotions and feelings over rationality and common thinking. Through these philosophies the American people began to view themselves as innately good beings with room for improving themselves and the society in which they lived. It is under the umbrella of religion that reform was brought about for it established the mind of thought necessary to cultivate change and bring about reform. During this era, public schooling and higher institutions of learning became more readily available to Americans.

This movement was inspired by people who saw the need for educated people in an increasingly commercial society, where more and more occupations required the ability to read and write. It was their aim to provide an opportunity for all children to learn the skills for self-fulfillment and success in a republic. By means of education general diffusion of property ownership and a closing of gaps between social classes could be achieved. Higher institutions of learning such as colleges and universities also began to spring up throughout America and were usually the products of religious institutions (whereas public schools were usually state funded and supported). Reform in education would prove to provide the skills and education necessary for coming generations to innovate industry. As the 19th century progressed the country's population continued to flourish.

From four million in 1790, America's population had reached 32 million by 1860. This was due in part to the influx of immigrants entering the country, thus the overall rise in population during the era of reform was due more to incoming foreigners than to natural increase. Most immigrants came as young adults ready to work, taking a hand not only in labor but also special knowledge of production methods useful in agriculture or industry. This rapid increase in population led millions of Americans to flock towards cities in search of employment and a better life. This migration led to the development of urban life throughout America. The rapid growth in urban areas was not matched by the growth of services; clean water, trash removal, and housing all lagged behind, and the wealthy got them first.

By 1860, the value of industrial output had surpassed that of agricultural production. This period witnessed a dramatic decline in the proportion of the labor force engaged in agriculture, and in increase of people working in industries and factories. Most industrial production occurred in the northeastern and middle states (this region also housed the bulk of America's major cities and ports). Between 1830 and 1860 the level of technology used in American industry and manufacturing began to develop as steps were taken towards modernization. This period was highlighted by several innovations and inventions that increased industrial output and made work much easier. Inventions such as Goodyear's process of vulcanizing rubber, Howe's sewing machine, McCormick's mechanical reaper, and John Deere's steel plow revolutionized their respective industries.

It was through this process of modernization that industry in America was born. Industry and urban life was furthermore stimulated by a revolution in America's commerce and an expansion in internal trade. The 1830's and 1840's witnessed the boom of canal construction and development of the rail system. These two modes of transportation helped tie the industrializing East to the expanding, agricultural West (the South, at this time, was not a major industrial center and therefore did not experience the rapid growth of the rail or canal system). Canals and railroads provided faster, more efficient means of transporting domestic goods throughout the United States and to coastal port cities for exportation. Competition between the two forms of transportation resulted in a steady decline of transportation costs for farmers and manufacturers Reform in transportation encouraged more rapid production in industry and it was not uncommon to find cities growing by major hubs of the rail system.

Major reform movements from 1820 to 1860, such as those in education, transportation of domestic goods, alongside a rapid increase in technology and population paved the road for growth in industry and urban life. The process can be described as a chain of cause and effect: reform in education leads to a more educated population which is directly connected to the increase in inventions and innovations in the era, an increase in population along with an influx of immigration leads to the development of major cities throughout America (cities become more populated as people flock there in search of employment), increase in population in cities leads to a more distinctive "urban" life, finally an increase in inventions and reform in transportation of goods nurtures an infant American industry. The reform movements of this period also led to a more productive and prosperous American economy. Conversely, as social and economic dynamics began to shift, as a response to the era of reform, a new door was opened that would lead to sectional conflict and eventually Civil War.