In the decades before the Civil War, movements to reform American lives swept the United States. Reformers strove to stamp out what they perceived as sin and vice, to contain the worst excesses and consequences of capitalism, to improve the conditions of the less fortunate, to broaden the meaning of freedom, and to make American society not just better but perfect. The original essay and the rich collection of documents in this reader explore each of the major reform movements, the underlying motivations of the reformers, the ways the reform movements changed everyday life, and the way the movements reflected the character of the age.