Question

Which of the following helped bring about the major social reform movements in the early nineteenth century?

A. Leaders of the Second Great Awakening encouraged Americans to reform society.
B. Transcendentalists sought to better the situations of those in poverty and slavery.
C. An economic depression spurred reformers into action as they sought to alleviate its effects.
D. The Romantic impulse encouraged the belief that people are innately bad, and reformers grew more selective.

Answer 1

The major social reforms in early nineteenth-century America were spurred by the Second Great Awakening and the transcendentalist movement, both of which focused on human goodness and societal improvement, rather than by economic depression or the belief in innate human badness.

Step-by-step explanation:

The major social reform movements in the early nineteenth century were largely influenced by the Second Great Awakening, which encouraged Americans to reform society and believed in the inherent goodness of individuals.

Transcendentalists also played a role in pushing for social reforms, particularly with their focus on personal integrity and societal improvement. Economic depressions did lead to action from reformers, but they were more of a consequence rather than a cause of the reform movements.

The Romantic impulse introduced by transcendentalists expressed that individuals are inherently good, contradicting the idea that they are innately bad as suggested in option D.