4.9 & 4.10: Development of American Culture
4.9: Explain how and why a new national culture developed from 1800 to 1848.
4.10: Explain the causes of the Second Great Awakening.
In the last set of notes, we went over the presidency of Andrew Jackson and now, it’s time to talk about American culture and the Second Great Awakening.
During this time and before this period, American culture was mostly very similar to European culture and was heavily influenced by Europe. For example, the art and architecture and philosophy in America were all similar to Europe’s and it was hard to find a difference between them. American philosophy and thought were heavily based on Enlightenment philosophy and thought from Europe. But it was during this period, from 1800 to 1848, that Enlightenment thinking eventually faded and gave way to a new way of thinking, Romanticism.
So what was Romanticism? It was a new movement that, unlike the Enlightenment, emphasized the use of warmth and emotion to view the world. It focused on the power of human taste and how humans could become perfect. Now let’s go over how Romanticism was expressed all throughout American culture.
Architecture
Firstly, architecture. Originally, most of the architecture in America, especially during the colonial period, was in the British Georgian style, which was very restrained, symmetrical, and stale. During this period though, there was a re-emergence of Greek and Roman architecture along with the old Gothic style. Buildings were constructed that were asymmetrical and had large parapets, spires, towers, and domes, and were designed to give an “exotic” or “eccentric” appearance. For example, the Capitol Building and basically every other building in Washington D.C.
Transcendentalism and Utopian Communities
For philosophy, a new American philosophy emerged during this time to replace Enlightenment thought and this was called Transcendentalism, emphasizing the transcendent power and beauty of nature, and the belief in human taste, intuition, and perfection. For example, Ralph Waldo Emerson was a Transcendentalist thinker that wrote about individualism and self-reliance. Henry David Thoreau wrote a book called Walden which was a reflection on life after he decided to live in a cabin in the woods on his own with a simple lifestyle for two years.
Similar to Thoreau but not as thinkers, some people started moving away from society and creating their own utopian communities during this time. They did this because they wanted to separate themselves from society. Here are two examples:
The Shakers (”Shaking Quakers”): A Christian group in Kentucky that believed that Christ’s Second Coming was about to occur at any moment, they believed in sharing property, equality, and not getting married or having any children
The Oneida Community: They believed in equality and sharing everything, including marriage and children, meaning everybody raised each other, and they made money through selling silverware
Mormonism
Additionally, a new branch of Christianity emerged during this time: Mormonism (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). In 1830, a man named Joseph Smith from New York revealed that he had been receiving revelations from God telling him to dig up some gold tablets. Afterwards, he began having visions. He later declared that the Church had strayed from Christ’s teachings and that he was appointed as a prophet, meaning that it was his job to bring back the Church to its true form. So he wrote down his discoveries in the Book of Mormon and began preaching to the people of New York. Over time though, he started spreading the message of polygamy, or marriage to multiple partners, and was subsequently lynched as a result in 1844. So his successor and the church’s next prophet, Brigham Young, led the Mormons to migrate to the Utah territory and established the Mormon Church near the Great Salt Lake in 1847.
Literature
In literature, many historical and fantastical books were written in the fiction genre to emphasize the Romantic view of imagination and heroism. Here are some examples of authors:
Sir Walter Scott
James Fenimore Cooper (his book, Last of the Mohicans, romanticized the western frontier and the dangers of it)
Washington Irving
Noah Webster (his American Dictionary of the English Language was used to standardize American spelling and pronunciation, becoming very popular in schools)
Art
Moving on to art, during this era many artists focused on portraying the American landscape. They focused on highlighting the grandeur and magnificence of the world around them. In their art, artists wanted to evoke a sense of wonder and admiration. For example, a group of artists known as the Hudson River School created many paintings that portrayed the vast American landscape and showcased nature. However, these artists often juxtaposed these landscapes with small indications of human presence to convey the idea that humans were ruining the beauty of nature. Essentially, art was now being used to portray emotions rather than realistic scenes.
The Second Great Awakening
On the topic of religion, the Second Great Awakening occurred during this time period. Similar to the First Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening was a religious revival among Protestant Christians. It spread through the work of preachers who traveled around the country and held large preaching sessions. The Second Great Awakening was caused by the Market Revolution, which taught Americans that if they worked hard and put in effort, they could become successful and wealthy. Similarly, in the Second Great Awakening, preachers taught that if people reformed their lives and worked hard enough, they could achieve salvation. This was different from the First Great Awakening, in which preachers preached that people’s fate was already in the hands of God, matching the old Puritan beliefs of original sin and predestination.
In addition, the Second Great Awakening was caused by an increase in the desire for democracy in America. Many of the religious gatherings were egalitarian, containing people from all walks of life, whether free or enslaved, man or woman, rich or poor. Another cause was the rise of Romanticism, which led to a desire for a strong emotional religious force to rise and give them something to emotionally devote themselves to. Compared to the First Great Awakening, preachers communicated more emotionally and focused on morality and doing moral acts rather than rationality and philosophy.
