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Movement way before the abolition and before teetotalism that would limit alcoholic beverages. This was greatly focused on rum, in the 1820's. Almost all the sections given had a strong influence on this issue.
With the speedy growth of The Second Great Awakening and Methodists growing, a strong religious untoleration of liquor was developing. Charles G. Finney and Peter Cartwright were loud, strong, and powerful roving preachers that preached the evils of the bottle.
Socially, temperance was a big topic. Since drinking is one of the most social activities, there was a great deal of laughing at the politicians early attempts at banning it. America saw people disregarding anti-drinking laws such as the Maine Law of 1851 sponsored by Neal Dow.
In the arts, the issue was far on both sides of the spectrum. It should come as no surprise that some of our greatest artist were smashed out of their minds. Edgar Allen Poe, famous for many short stories, died drunk in the street. Most of his success can be contributed to the tortures he felt during his alcoholic delusions. Steven Foster, a famous black-face-song writer, who wrote "Oh Suzanna," among others, died a drunk. On the other end of the spectrum we have Emerson and Thoreau, two of the leading writers who were vehemenantly opposed to drinking. These people and others like T. S. Arthur wrote and told the nation about the terrors of drinking.
Before Lincoln, before Buchanan, during and before Polk the Abolitionists or the free -soilers wanted an end to the slavery, considering it inhuman. They soon became a large minority due to the inclusion of Know-Nothings into their party. This issue had to be one of the biggest in America's history. It involved every one of the issues mentioned and close to half of the names on the list.
With the Second Great Awakening, people were preached on their morals. Hell and brimstone speeches were given, by among others, Charles G. Finney and Peter Cartwright, roving preachers showing the obvious wrongs with slavery. This however has a great deal to due with the fact that these were Northern preachers. They were trying to get their listener's support. Had the new Methodists been as strong in the South as they had been in the North, there may have been more pro slavery arguments.
Socially, the issue was pretty even. If you lived above the Mason-Dixon, you supported the Abolitionists. If you were a Southerner, you'd be pro-slavery. Social leaders were the same. Horace Greely was a famous newspaper editor in the north, and strongly supported Abolitionist movements, wrote editorials on it and supported the North the whole way. Historians from that time are social writers, so they count in this topic. Nearly all of them were Abolitionists. William Prescott and Francis Parkman were big historians from the time who supported the North. There were not any major strong historians from the south. This is simply because most of our older documents were in MA, so an Abolitionist slant was applied for quite a few years.
Women's rights became an issue when Abolitionism became an issue. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton went to London to participate in the 1840 antislavery convention. They were not recognized to be admitted, so they fought back forming a new unfair issue. The women put Abolitionism only second to their own issue.
Literature could be the most pertinent aspect. From the 1800's to the Civil War, some of the most brilliant writing was penned on slavery. The south had but one good fighter. William Gilmore Simms was a great southern writer, pointing out the southern point of view, but he was seriously outumatched. James Russel Lowell a poet, artist, novelist, etc. wrote a satirical work Biglow Papers, which knocked the Polk administration's attempt to deal with slavery. John Greenleaf Whittier was a Quaker newspaper columnist but had enough free time to write some Abolitionist slavery. The good friends Emerson and Thoreau also showed their distaste for slavery. Furthermore the work of Samuel Clemens, Huck Finn, comes to mind, show the evils of slavery. Finally this list can not be completed without mentioning the woman who started The War, Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was a true fighter against slavery.