The Moral Sanctuary

• Family life changed in the 1800s, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Before, families made their own clothes, food and everything else needed at home. In the 1800s, the industrial revolution took men out of the home and into the workplace. Home became a sanctuary and the place where generations learned their morals. Fathers were the head of the household and women stayed home and took care of the children. Women were the moral leaders of the home and looked upon as the moral leaders in the world. They were Bible study leaders, led community projects and championed social issues like eliminating poverty and prostitution.
  
  

The Women's Rights Movements

• The Women's Rights Movement was rooted in the 19th century, long before anyone had heard of ERA and before 70's advertisements for cigarettes told women "You've come a long way, baby." Susan B. Anthony became a leader in the women's suffrage movement, believing it was the woman's moral right to vote. After all, by this time many women were getting an education and becoming teachers or were working in factories. Their cries to be able to cast their ballots went hand-in-hand in a 19th century moral victory that was won due in a large part to women---the abolition of slavery.
  
  

Abolition

• As stated in an essay published from Empire State College in New York, since women were seen to be the moral compass of society it was inevitable that they would be involved in the abolition movement. But it was not just women fighting to end slavery. The Republican Party's platform when it was formed in 1856 was to fight two moral indignities---slavery and polygamy. The party was successful when slavery was abolished in 1865 by the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Polygamy was a different battle.
  
  

Polygamy

• Until the mid-19th century, polygamy was a secret kept in Mormon circles. But as the number of Mormons increased, more were aware of polygamist marriages. The Republican part got involved and passed a federal ban on polygamy. The Mormons said they felt it was unfair and that their lifestyle did not have an effect on others. In 2011, a study revealed that 19th century polygamy had an effect on the population in Utah. According to MSNBC, fewer children were born to women in polygamists marriages. The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, also found that it was not a good idea for some men to have three wives when others had none since the male reproductive "playing field" was made uneven.