Reform movements

Definition

Reform movements are organized efforts by citizens to bring about social, political, or economic change. In American history, major reform movements have addressed issues like abolition, women's suffrage, temperance, labor rights, and civil rights.

Examples

  • The abolitionist movement sought to end slavery, led by figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman
  • The women's suffrage movement won the right to vote with the 19th Amendment in 1920
  • The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) targeted corruption, child labor, and unsafe working conditions
Key Fact

The Second Great Awakening (early 1800s) fueled many antebellum reform movements including abolition and temperance.

Related Terms

Progressivism Civil rights movements Labor movements Amendments

Study This Concept

Practice reform movements with free review games in these units:

AP World History: Modern Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization