Fires of Perfection and Social Reform: A Reporter’s Eyewitness Account.

Introduction: The 1820’s, 1830’s, and 1840’s gave rise to various reform groups which attempted to address a number of growing social issues of the Age of Jackson. Slavery was expanding west into the Lower South on the booming economy of cotton. A thriving textile factory system led to way to industrialism in the North and a rising labor class. The Second Great Awakening captured middle class Americans in revivalism and social responsibility, which fueled reforming zeal. Abolitionism, the Temperance Movement, and the Women’s Rights Movement were three important reform issues of the Antebellum Period. The press was a powerful tool to reach the American public with an appeal for reform. The Assignment: Select one of the three reform movements as the source of information for this assignment, either the Abolitionist movement, the Temperance movement, or the Women’s Rights movement. Fulfill the following scenario requirements in creating this assignment. Scenario: You are a news reporter in the 1840’s for the Boston Globe. You have attended one of the open-air “revival” style public meetings held by the reform movement of your choice. Provide your readers with the as much information as possible in a one-page news article. Tell your readers about the atmosphere of the meeting, who is attending the meeting, what is the “cause” espoused by the reformers, how the reformers propose to redress the social injustice they have embraced, and maybe provide a quick bio on a keynote speaker. NOTE: Suggested Outline Tell your readers about the atmosphere of the meeting! Who is attending the meeting? What is the “cause” espoused by the reformers? How the reformers propose to “fix” the social injustice they have embraced? Provide a quick bio on a keynote speaker. Your editor is on you for a crisp, clean, readable, informed copy!!!…chop..chop…get to it! Submission requirements: Your news story is to be no less than one page and no more than two pages. (max) This is a newspaper article! Write a first person account for your readers following the scenario presented above. Single spaced paragraphs, double-spaced between paragraphs, 12 font, with standard margins.