religion in 19th century America

The democratic republic of the 19th century was very religious in its core. The thinking of the time period was that to live freely was to live through god. To live in a respectable way was to practice godliness. People were expected to control their personal vices and impulses. Things like having sex, drinking alcohol, eating too much and going the circus were thought to be unhealthy and unnecessary in one’s life. The thought of living in the “free” republic of the time does not seem so free in our understanding of the word in modern times. But to the people living in America during the 19th century these ideals were a part of life in the new America. Rebellion to Great Britain was backed up by religion. Religious revivals were progressive for the time putting new life into religion for people. Religion was thought to be necessary in running a republic. The majority of people were Christian and the majority ruled. Religion was a way to keep people’s actions “moral” and to keep people in line, keeping them from being completely free in the modern sense of the word.

The middle class of the time illustrates these ideals of morality. These ideals did not only include suffocating your inner desires, but also acting in a way that was seen as acceptable in the society of the day. This included living in the right neighborhoods, having servants serve you your meals, and having proper “table manners” as put by Ms. Beecher. The white-collar workers working in the commercial district of town were the people that were in charge of setting these standards. The factory workers or the working class often did not fit these models of virtuous behavior. The people of the working class were partaking in activities like going to the circus and going to the saloon. This caused conflict between the middle class and the working class. There began to be a greater separation between the two groups in where they lived, where they worked, and their morals. During this time, classes started to rise once again and people were being more and more separated by income and status.