Primary
Resources
Documents, online here and available through our partners, for teaching any American History class.
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Primary Resources
Religion, Revival and Reform: The Second Great Awakening and Its Legacy
Primary Source Content Guide
Courtesy of the Salem State Archives
Ladies Miscellany, January 6, 1829
“To The Public” – this letter lays out the purpose of the “Ladies’ Miscellany” as for the “amusement, and as we hope…the instruction of the Ladies of Salem and vicinity.”
Ladies Miscellany, January 13, 1829
“Influence of Christianity” – this article muses on the positive effects of Christian gospel on morality.
Courtesy of the Lynn Museum and Archives
The Records of the Lynn Female Anti-Slavery Society and the Anti-Slavery Society of Lynn and Vicinity
Women’s activities in aid organizations eventually lead to work in other reform movements. The records and Constitutions of these abolition societies show their religious and moral grounding. The number of abolitionist societies surged in the 1830s as the movement benefited from the increased interest in reform that followed the Second Great Awakening.
Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center
The Constitution and Address of the Merrimack Bible Society
Founded in Newburyport in 1810, the goal of this charitable society was to provide needy persons and families with copies of the scripture to “spread the word of Christ and salvation.”
From the book Increase in Piety or the Revival of Religion in the United States of America, this letter details religious revivals in the early 19 th century in Newburyport, MA.
A Family Book Containing Discourses on the Following Subjects Being Doctrinal, Evangelical, Practical, and Historical
This text, published in 1801, contains texts “the whole calculated to promote Christian Piety, Family Religion, and Youthful Virtue.” Using ESSEX History has excerpted a suggested morning and evening prayer for a family that contain the evangelical themes of salvation and a joyful death.
Seaman's Aid and Orphan Society and Salem Female Charitable Society
"The following document recounts the history of the Salem Female Charitable Society and the Seaman’s Widow and Orphan Association. Like many charitable organizations that grew from religious impulses, these societies sought to help orphaned children and widowed mothers by providing them with practical and religious instruction. These documents give insight into the successful fundraising and outreach activities of these societies.
Links
Smithsonian in the Classroom
The Smithsonian has posted a lesson plan from its "Smithsonian in the Classroom" series that teaches students how to sing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" using shape notes - a 19th century musical method that used different shaped notes to teach the illiterate how to read music
Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
This website, created by the Department of English at the University of Virginia, contains a multi-media archive of resources about Stowe's famous book. The site contains primary resources such as songs, texts, images, and material culture about the book and its place in American culture as well as exhibits and lesson plans to help teachers and students interpret the material.
