Assessment
Question 1

After the Revolution, United States citizens found themselves in a position to rethink familiar ways of organizing and ruling their lives. Prior to the Revolution, European-held America was ruled by the very wealthy. The new republic, on the other hand, was ruled by yeoman farmers and urban artisans. Some practices changed quickly, such as the separation of church and state, while others shifted more slowly, like the movement toward equality for women. Also, people speculated, if any society were completely reorganized, it could be regenerated and, ultimately, perfected. This concept created various forms of utopias. Most of the original utopias were created for religious purposes.

What were the fastest-growing religions in America by 1800? Provide and example of utopia’s religious community formed in 18th or 19th century, and explain their connection to American workforce.

Question 2

As America urbanized, cities became rife with crime, disease and poverty. But it became possible to economize and offer services to residents of cities that would not have been thinkable in rural society. In the late nineteenth century such wonders as public transportation, literary clubs, and free education for children were in reach of most city residents.

How many American states required children to attend school in 1870?

Question 3

After the Revolution, United States citizens found themselves in a position to rethink familiar ways of organizing and ruling their lives. Prior to the Revolution, European-held America was ruled by the very wealthy. The new republic, on the other hand, was ruled by yeoman farmers and urban artisans. Some practices changed quickly, such as the separation of church and state, while others shifted more slowly, like the movement toward equality for women.

What was the main option for outside employment for middle-class women in the 1820s and 30s and how does it differ from today’s opportunities?

Question 4

As the typical middle-class American became more highly educated, and women gained more leisure time, they looked outward to books and magazines for clues about how “typical” Americans should behave. One broad movement during this time, Progressivism, grew as Americans who had established their own relative freedom and prosperity considered the lives of those less fortunate. The spirit of progressivism can be seen in the fight to abolish slavery, reform of prisons and mental institutions, the education reform movement, and even in the establishment of utopian societies, whose members believed they could create their own small perfect world.

What was considered a characteristic of a “true woman” in the nineteenth century and how it differs from modern social perception?