Women in the Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a pivotal moment in the history of American women. In this detail from Religious Camp Meeting, painted by J. Maze Burbank in 1839, male preachers inspire religious frenzy, mostly among young women. In fact, most women embraced evangelical Christianity in a calm and measured manner, becoming dedicated workers, teachers, and morality-minded mothers. When tens of thousands of these women also joined movements for temperance, abolition, and women’s rights, they spurred a great wave of social reform. Old Dartmouth Historical Society/New Bedford Whaling Museum.