George Ripley was a U.S. journalist and reformer and Unitarian minister born in Greenfield, Mass.
The social reform of the 1800s was cause by the belief that social reforms were needed to improve society. Churches and social groups set up charities to aid the poor and teach them how to help themselves. Reformers worked to reduce the working day from the usual 12 or 14 hours to 10 hours. Prohibitionists convinced that drunkenness was the main cause of poverty and other problems persuaded 13 states to outlaw the sale of alcohol. Other important targets of reformers were women's rights, improvements in education and the abolition of slavery. The belief was that America was falling apart, and drastic changes needed to be made in order for people to be happy.
Ripley graduated from Harvard College in 1823 and from Harvard Divinity School in 1826. …
