Reform Era People
John James Audubon
I believed ... that it is important to explore the newly acquired territories of America. Remember me because ... I painted many pictures of America's wildlife during my explorations, specifically birds.
The American Temperance Society
I believed... alcohol was an evil drink that poisoned the souls of men. Remember me because... I worked to get the 18th Amendment passed, which outlawed the sale, consumption (drinking) or possession of alcohol.
William Lloyd Garrison
I believed... slavery should be abolished in America. Remember me because... I was the editor of an abolitionist newspaper in Massachusetts called The Liberator. I ignored many threats, and risked my life to speak about my beliefs against slavery.
Horace Mann
I believed... that all children deserved an equal education, even women and African Americans. Remember me because... I worked to get free public education for every child, and I made public education compulsory (required).
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
I believed... that all men and women should have equal rights. Remember me because... I organized and led the Seneca Falls Convention, in New York in 1848. I also wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which was a list of grievances against the U.S. Government.
Dorothea Dix
I believed... that all men should be treated with dignity and respect, even prisoners and the mentally ill. Remember me because... I helped get rights for mentally ill/ insane people and I helped improve prison conditions.
Frederick Douglass
I believed... that all people were created equal and should have equal rights. Remember me because... I worked with many people, including Abraham Lincoln to abolish slavery. I even helped write the 13th amendment. I also spoke up for women's suffrage.
Sojourner Truth
I believed... that all slaves should be free in America. Remember me because... I escaped slavery with my infant daughter. I was the first African American women to win a U.S. court case against a white man.
Henry David Thoreau
I believed... that man had to become one with nature, in order to trust his inner self. Remember me because... I used Civil Disobedience to protest laws I felt were unconstitutional. For example, I refused to pay my taxes during the Mexican-American War. I also wrote Walden & Civil Disobedience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I believed... that people must understand their inner self to recognize moral truths. Remember me because... I was the creator of transcendentalism and I encouraged others to use resistance against the government.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
I believed... that slavery was a horrible institution that should be outlawed in America. Remember me because... I wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin a "best-selling" book that showed many northerners the truth about the evils of slavery.
Harriet Tubman
I believed... that slavery was unconstitutional. Remember me because ... helped organize the underground railroad, through which many slaves escaped to their freedom.
Susan B. Anthony
I believed... women should have equal rights as men. Remember me because... I led many protests and used Civil Disobedience to get voting rights for women. I also helped to get the 19th amendment passed, which gave women the right to vote.
Edgar Allen Poe
I wrote famous poems and short stories like the Raven and Me and my Annabel Lee. Remember me because... I changed American poetry forever.
Hudson River Schools
Remember me because... I was a group of artists who focused their art on the beauty of American wilderness and nature.
Emily Dickinson
Remember me because... I was a very famous Female American poet. I wrote of 1,000 poems, mostly about death and immortality, but fewer than 12 of them were published before I died.
Walt Whitman
Remember me because... I wrote many famous poems about America. One of my most famous poetry collections is called Leaves of Grass and I also wrote a poem called O Captain! My Captain! about Abraham Lincoln.
James Fenimore Cooper
Remember me because... I wrote the adventure story The Last of the Mohicans and became famous in Europe.