Subsequent to the Revolutionary War, statutes and regulations legitimized the physical punishment of seamen, convicts, and children. The emergence of reform movements and the development of widespread opposition to this physical punishment are traced, with an emphasis on reformers' underlying concerns. Also discussed are cultural concerns and contextual factors promoting opposition to physical punishment, including the abolitionist movement, specialization, the desire for institutional efficiency, and feminization of the home and school. The impact of age, gender, and ethnicity on reformers' perspectives of punishment also is analyzed. Extant writings by convicts and seamen, naval and prison punishment records, and annual legislative reports are examined to document the significant decline in the actual use of physical punishment during the antebellum period and increasing experimentation with a range of psychological disciplinary techniques. Appendixes, an index, and approximately 320 references are included.