Which movement helped spur abolitionism and temperance in early American society?

• A. The Progressive Era
• B. The Great Awakening
• C. The New Deal
• D. The Harlem Renaissance

Answer: (B)

Religious revivalism that swept the colonies energized moral reform and organized action aimed at improving society. The Great Awakening, in the 1730s and 1740s, brought widespread lay leadership, new denominations, and voluntary groups that connected people across communities. This sense of shared moral purpose helped people see slavery as a moral wrong and alcohol abuse as a social harm, motivating abolitionist sentiment and temperance campaigns. The movement’s emphasis on personal responsibility and collective effort created networks and institutions that could rally support for these reforms long after the revival waned. Other movements listed arose later or focused on different aims, so they did not drive abolitionism and temperance in the same way.