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Perfection Era

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Submitted By lisajbug80
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Perfection Era Paper
September 4, 2011
His 115 U.S. History to 1865
Erica J. Moore

1.
The Perfection Era, which occurred during the early 19th century in the United States, marked an important change in the way that minorities viewed themselves within their society. The period beforehand was marked by Deism, the belief that God was a "remote being who created the universe but stopped being involved in it," a strong separation of church and government, and an overall belief in "rational religions" that supported the intellectual knowledge of that time (Dave, 2009). The tides quickly began to change during the first Great Awakening. Ideas began to spread in regards being non-Calvinistic, or pre-ordained, which lead to the expansion of Protestantism from simply being Puritanical or Unitarian (Matthet, 2006). As a result, a majority of Americans had a greater understanding of Christianity as current Americans experience it today (Matthet, 2006). Also, there was a greater concern for ensuring that Native Americans and black slaves had an understanding of Christianity, and they were ministered to as a result (Matthet, 2006). While the first Great Awakening had no significant effect on women, the foundations were being set for women to make a momentous movement towards gaining more rights within United States society. The Perfection Era was characterized by the expansion of the lifestyles of women, who at that time were housewives (Priebe, 2009). Women began to expand their rights in society through their literary works, which were becoming the norm (Priebe, 2009). This allowed most middle-class white women to reach out to the working class women in which they were able to speak out about the rights that should be afforded to them as equal citizens of the United States (Priebe, 2009). This led to the beginnings of the Suffrage Movement for women, who

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