The abolitionist movement after 1830 had a greater impact on the nation as a whole then the antislavery movement before 1830 did. Antislavery movement slowly began to diminish and a new drastic form of opposition to slavery developed. The abolitionist movement had a greater impact because William Garrison drastically helped in creating abolitionism, blacks started to become abolitionist expanding the group in numbers, and soon after the movement started the drastic instances made it difficult to overlook. Once the antislavery movement began to diminish William Garrison an assistant of an antislavery writer went to Boston in 1831 and created his own newspaper called the Liberator. The meek philosophy Garrison came up with became groundbreaking. Garrisons said people should view slavery from a black man’s point of view, not the white man who is a slave owner. He also thought that people should not think of what black’s image had on society but think of the harm it did to the blacks. Garrison was the first member of the antislavery movement to publicly stated blacks needed complete and instant emancipation. He proposed that they didn’t want to just free the blacks but rid the country of them and just keep the slaves. The first issue of The Liberator was very intriguing, he demanded that he will be heard and it may be harsh but it’s the truth. Soon the works of Garrison attracted a large amount of people. He was able to establish the New England Antislavery Society in 1832 then American Antislavery Society in1833. By 1838 there were about 250,000 members of the societies. As abolitionism started expanding free blacks of the North took interest in the movement. The free blacks of the North lived in conditions far worse than the slave... ... middle of paper ... ...away slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe published a book called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was the most influential document of the abolitionist literature. The book showed emotions of slaves that were treated cruelly by Uncle Tom. Although abolitionism was dividing both sides knew the amount of damage slavery was doing by dividing America. They knew slavery had to be extinguished. Greater impact on the nation was definitely the abolitionist movement. The abolitionist movement was larger because William Garrison’s idea of starting abolitionism affected society view of slaves, since blacks joined the abolitionist group the groups’ numbers increased, and soon after the movement started the instances that took place made it difficult to overlook. Thanks to the abolitionist the nation saw how deeply it was being divided. Works Cited American History 14th Edition Alan Brinkley
The abolitionist movement reached its peak between 1830 and 1860. During this period, abolitionists, those who "insisted slavery undermined the freedom, righteousness, order, and prosperity of all society" (McInerney, 8) sought to identify, denounce and abolish this cruel institution using their rights of free speech and free press. With free press and free speech "abolitionists depicted slavery as raw, aggressive power carrying in it's wake the seeds of political, social, economic, and moral dislocation" (McInerney, 18). In other words, the evils of slavery were expressed by abolitionists in an attempt to convince American society that slavery was not only morally wrong, but it also went against the goal of the republic, which was liberty and equality for all. Two prominent abolitionists during this period who utilized the right of free press were William Lloyd Garrison with the Liberator and Frederick Douglass with the North Star. When examining Garrison and Douglass it is apparent that they had different approaches to writing against slavery because of their separate background. However, these differences can also be attributed to the fact that their writing audiences, inspirations and motivations for publishing their respective papers were distinct. Garrison and Douglass also had different but very influential effects on the Abolitionist Movement. These do not make Garrison and Douglass opponents; instead they demonstrate how white and black abolitionists had different approaches, methods, and styles of conveying their common message of abolishing slavery.
The scope of the investigation is limited to the Second Great Awakening and the American Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839, with the exception of some foundational knowledge of the movement prior to 1830 to highlight the changes within the movement in the 1830s. The investigation included an exploration of various letters, lectures, and sermons by leading abolitionists from the time period and a variety of secondary sources analyzing the Second Great Awakening and the Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839.
Free blacks from the south were facing many situations from the whites from the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were to prevent free blacks and other non-whites from being able to vote and have a voice within the government. Laws and statements were established such as the Grandfather Clause, which would prevent anyone whose grandfather could not vote from voting. Since the majority of blacks grandfathers did not vote and was not even free, free blacks in the south were denied the right to vote. Free blacks were now being denied any privilege that non slaves (whites) already had. Their "freedom" was only from slavery, now they realized that they were still a slave to the world. Also during this time blacks were being discriminated against and the lynchings of blacks were occurring. Blacks were becoming endangered and feared for their lives.
The abolitionist movement caused major impact on the nation as a whole compared to the antislavery movement before the 1830s. This was due to the major support received in the 1830s by all the leaders that arouse at this time. The commotion caused by all the propaganda published during this movement. As well as the spark left in the nation by the antislavery movement in the nation before 1830s.
The Growing Opposition to Slavery 1776-1852 Many Americans’ eyes were opened in 1776, when members of the Continental Congress drafted, signed, and published the famous document “The Declaration of Independence” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By declaring their independence, many of the colonists believed that slaves should have the same rights as the whites had. Abolition groups were formed, and the fight to end slavery began. In 1776, Delaware became the first state to prohibit the importation of African slaves. One year later, in 1777, Vermont became the first colony to abolish slavery (within Vermont’s boundaries) by state constitution.
Black and white abolitionists shared common assumptions about the evil of slavery, the "virtue of moral reform", and the certainty of human progress"(1). Schor, Garnet,1877, & Lanngston, 1989). This shared understanding provided "the basic for the interracial solidarity" and cooperation so vital in the crusade against slavery"(2). (Schor and Garnet, 1877). But blacks also brought a distinct perspective to the antislavery movement. Their abolitionism was shaped profoundly by their personal experience and racial oppression. Unlike most white abolitionists, they conceived of antidlavery as an all-encompassion struggle for racial equality, and they took a more pragramatic, less doctrinaire approach to antislavery tactics. The contrast between the two abolitionists -- black and white -- become increasingly apparent in the 1840s and 1850s as black expressed a growing militancy, asserted greater independence, and called for racially exclusive organization and initiatives.
Slavery has impacted our society today because people are still prejudiced and discriminatory towards African Americans. Still in this day, African Americans living in poverty don’t have proper education and are not given equal opportunities for jobs.
The Abolition movement pushed for the country to realize the cruelties of slavery. Harriet Tubman, an escaped runaway slave, helped over 300 African Americans get freedom. Many people published books and reports on slavery. They showed Americans, as well as a world the harshness of slavery. Some abolitionist held posts on Underground Railroad to help free slaves and even helped them hide at times.
One of the most important figures for the antislavery movement was Frederick Douglass. Douglass fought for emancipation and eventually for black men to have full citizenship Egerton, p.89) . He spread many ideas that would push black people to have similar ideas of freedom. He helped collective thinking to form on slaves. Also, Douglass said that there were sacrifices that had to be made for freedom but that “no power on earth that could deny that he had earned the right of citizenship in the United States.” (Egerton. P.36) Another very important figure was Harriet Tubman. Her actions were very distinct to the actions of Douglass, never the less both worked towards the same goal. Tubman directed the raid of Combahee Ferry. She acted as a spy and led the union army to victory. Harriet was a former slave and because of this “they would tell anything, (…) so it became important that should would accompany them (…) to control and get information” (Brandford, p.39) for the raids along rivers and other plantations. With her actions Tubman prove the previous slave representation wrong. She showed the Union Army that slaves could be helpful for battle. Tubman took many risks and opportunities to get the trust of the union
Instead of convincing American citizens from around the country that slavery was America’s largest injustice, he now was persuading people in the government and people who were originally for anti-slavery, that black men should have equal citizenship and the right to vote. His change in audience is another reason that the abolitionist's voice changed beginning in the mid 1860’s. The harsh and passionate rhetoric he was using to condemn slavery may have not been so effective or persuasive to politicians. Therefore it was in his best interest to change the approach he originally was making. A great example of this is Frederick Douglass’s first meeting with President Andrew
It managed to arise the reality and change the vision of slavery based on moral grounds. And if people think that slavery is immoral they are going to want to change the current situation.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, has had a tremendous impact on American culture, both then and now. It is still considered a controversial novel, and many secondary schools have banned it from their libraries. What makes it such a controversial novel? One reason would have been that the novel is full of melodrama, and many people considered it a caricature of the truth. Others said that she did not show the horror of slavery enough, that she showed the softer side of it throughout most of her novel. Regardless of the varying opinions of its readers, it is obvious that its impact was large.
Slavery in the eighteenth century was worst for African Americans. Observers of slaves suggested that slave characteristics like: clumsiness, untidiness, littleness, destructiveness, and inability to learn the white people were “better.” Despite white society's belief that slaves were nothing more than laborers when in fact they were a part of an elaborate and well defined social structure that gave them identity and sustained them in their silent protest.
William Lloyd Garrison was one of the most radical social reformers during his time, and was the publisher of The Liberator which a newspaper that highlighted the Abolitionists’ Movement’s cause. He advocated the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves although it was an unpopular view amongst people, even to those residing in the North who were against slavery.Garrison managed to remain passive, the amount of violence from those who did not agree with him. He obtained numerous death threats, and the State of Georgia’s government even offered a reward of $5,000 for his arrest. Despite of this, he continued in getting his views across, and burned a copy of the Constitution on J...
Frederick Douglass said, “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave”. Frederick Douglass could not be farther from the truth. Frederick Douglass was a slave, and he saw knowledge as a passage to freedom. Slavery was the primary cause of many events from 1800-1861. The issue was not slavery itself necessarily, but the different views and controversy towards it. Slavery was dehumanization; making black people less human. Black people were treated unjustifiably wrong since they were treated like property during this time period. Some events that impacted slavery the most were the Industrial Revolution, Westward expansion,Abolitionist movement, publication of A Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Written By Himself, Dred Scott Decision, John Brown raid, Election of Abraham Lincoln and many more. A group formed known as the Abolitionists, and they opposed the idea of slavery. This group of people brought into light a new thought process of looking at slavery. The idea of slavery justice began to be questioned, and Frederick Douglass and his narrative played a big role.