moralism

Examples of moralism in the following topics:

• Moral Imperialism

  • U.S. entry into World War I was framed in moral terms (especially by President Wilson) and was motivated by disapproval of German actions.
  • The decisive questions dealt with morality and visions of the future.
  • The prevailing attitude was that America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom and democracy.
  • After war was declared, the moral imperative of liberty and the Allied cause was touted in official, government-sponsored propaganda.
  • Critique the United States' stance of "moral imperialism" that led to its involvement in World War I.

• An Idealist's Diplomacy

  • President Wilson advocated a moral and idealistic approach to foreign policy, as seen through his attempts to mediate during World War I.
  • A Presbyterian of deep religious faith, Wilson infused a profound sense of moralism into his idealistic internationalism, now referred to as "Wilsonian".
  • The decisive questions dealt with morality and visions of the future.
  • The prevailing attitude was that America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom and democracy.
  • Strong support for moralism came from religious leaders, women (led by Jane Addams), and from public figures like long-time Democratic leader William Jennings Bryan, the Secretary of State from 1913 to 1916.

• Domestic Discontent with the War

  • The intensely religious son of a prominent theologian, Wilson had established himself as a believer in the role of Christian morality in public affairs.
  • Wilson, therefore, knew religion could be utilized in American foreign policy and that by showing German militarism to be morally evil, the Old Stock would throw enormous weight behind the war effort.
  • He harnessed this moralism with verbal attacks on the "Huns" – a derogatory term for Germans – whom he said threatened civilization, and through his calls for an almost religious crusade for peace.
  • Some characterizations of the Germans as "Huns" were racist and manipulative, but were an attempt to persuade Americans that the war against Germany was moral.
  • Explain why Irish-Americans were adamantly against aiding the British in the war and how Wilson harnessed the moralism of the "old stock" to support it

• The Progressive Stake in the War

  • The Progressive Movement influenced U.S. policy in World War I through its ideals of morality, efficiency and democracy.
  • Morality, liberal democracy and self-determination fueled Progressivism and its goals of eliminating government corruption and increasing efficiency and expertise in areas such as education and social justice.
  • Yet Progressives eventually came to believe that, in contrast to the great powers of the Concert of Europe, America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom, democracy and self-determination, and that those ideals could be achieved in a just war.
  • The address was intended to assure Americans that the Great War was being fought for moral causes, including post-war peace in Europe.
  • Woodrow Wilson, one of the most prominent Progressives, framed World War I in moral and democratic terms.

• Washington's Escape from New York

  • Washington and much of his army crossed the Hudson River into New Jersey, and retreated all the way across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, shrinking due to ending enlistment periods, desertions, and poor morale.
  • Howe ordered his troops into winter quarters, when Washington, in a tremendous boost to American morale, launched a successful strike against the Trenton garrison after crossing the icy Delaware River.
  • This action significantly boosted the army's morale, and it also brought Cornwallis out of New York.
  • The British lost more than one quarter of their force in the battle, and American morale rose with the victory.
  • With the bold strokes of Trenton and Princeton, he had regained initiative and boosted morale.

• The Religious Right

  • As Ronald Reagan campaigned for President in 1980, some of his strongest supporters were members of the Religious Right, including Christian groups like the Moral Majority, 61% of whom voted for him.
  • Notable leaders and groups within the Religious Right are Robert Grant's advocacy group Christian Voice, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Ed McAteer's Religious Roundtable Council, James Dobson's Focus on the Family, and Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.
  • The birth of the New Christian right, however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "Moral Majority" organization.
  • Jerry Falwell's founding of the Moral Majority was a key step in the formation of the New Christian Right.

• The Politics of Slavery

  • Though some in the North viewed slavery as a moral issue, most were indifferent.
  • Many Northerners increasingly criticized slavery as an inefficient labor system, even if they remained indifferent to its moral dimension.
  • Influenced by evangelical Protestantism, Garrison and other abolitionists believed in moral suasion, a technique of appealing to the conscience of the public, especially slaveholders.
  • Moral suasion relied on dramatic narratives, often from former slaves, about the horrors of slavery, and the argument that slavery destroyed families, as children were sold and taken away from their parents.
  • Moral suasion resonated with many women, who condemned the sexual violence against slave women and the victimization of southern white women by adulterous husbands.

• The Revolution and Churches

  • Religion offered a moral sanction for opposing the British in the colonies.
  • Religion played a major role in the American Revolution by offering a moral sanction for opposition to the British—an assurance to the average American that revolution was justified in the sight of God.

• Social Change

  • The Roaring Twenties represented a significant shift in American cultural values, morals and social roles.
  • The Roaring Twenties was a decade with a distinct cultural edge in which ideas about morality and social roles shifted as much as the booming economy.

• The Temperance Movement

  • Many leaders of the movement expanded their activities and took positions on observance of the Sabbath and other moral issues.
  • The American Temperance Society was formed in 1826 and benefited from a renewed interest in religion and morality.
  • A split also formed between voluntarists, who relied on moral persuasion alone, and prohibitionists, who promoted laws to restrict or ban alcohol.
  • Lyman Beecher was a charismatic and influential preacher during the first half of the nineteenth century who championed, among other moral reforms, the temperance movement.