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The Impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on Abolitionism
In his first draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson accused the King of Britain of violating the sacred human rights of life and liberty by promoting slavery as a means of economic development. While Congress omitted this section from the final document, it does show that slavery was an issue for the American nation from its inception. So, while it may have been established by its mother country, the roots of slavery are laid deep in American soil. By the early 19th century, slavery had grown up and become interwoven with all social and political institutions, and was considered by many to be a vital part of our nation.
As many of the northern states began to change their policies on the enslavement of Africans, the South became aware that those areas might become a haven of refuge for runaway slaves. In an effort to appease southern slave owners, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1793, which allowed slave owners to apprehend fugitives in any state or territory and only required them to apply for custody from a circuit or district judge. Due to the act’s ambiguity and lack of uniform enforcement, slaveholders became increasingly agitated. The growing movement of abolitionists to smuggle and rescue fugitive slaves compounded this frustration; the best know organization being the Underground Railroad.
One of the larger abolitionist groups, The American Anti-Slavery Society, opposed the Acts of 1793, claiming them to be unconstitutional. They, like many, believed that each state had the right to legislate in regards to its policies on abolition and aimed to convince the South that slaveholding was a heinous crime in the sight of God. The Society...
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...cratic review Apr. 1851: 352-360. American Memory. Library of Congress. 2 Feb. 2002 .
Lord, John Chase. "The higher law," in its application to the Fugitive slave bill: A sermon on the duties men owe to God and to governments. New York: Union Safety Committee, 1851. American Memory. Library of Congress. 8 Feb. 2002 .
Shaw, Lemeul, et al. To the citizens of Massachusetts. The undersigned are moved by an imperative sense of duty to address their fellow-citizens of the State of Massachusetts, concerning the portentous condition of our public affairs. n.p.:n.p., 1850. American Memory. Library of Congress. 6 Feb. 2002 < http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/rbpe:@field(DOCID+@lit(rbpe06501000))>.
... The Opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts.” In The William and Mary Quarterly 65, no. 3. Virginia: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, 2008.
In early nineteenth century there was the antislavery movement which was a failure. This people who were fighting for antislavery did not have a great support. They were nice gentle people who argued with an expression of moral disapproval but did not participate in an exert of activities. Organizations were formed to help support the freeing of slaves but these organizations did not have enough economical support to help with the thousands and thousands of slaves reproducing in America. They were able to free some slaves and tried returning some of them to their home lands in Africa but that was a failure because the amount of money need it to ship the Africans back to Africa was a high cost compared to the economical support that they had. There was even resistance from some Afr...
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.
They were considered no use to the society, because they were labeled as being weak. They wanted to be privileged with the same roles as the men did, such as fighting in a battle. The Civil War gave the women an opportunity to do something about their wants. They took action by disguising themselves as men, so they would be able to attend the war. The woman began to take part in other battles that occurred as well. Many of them were able to get away with the scam for a while, until they ended up dead or injured. Those who did not want to join forces and fight still managed to participate in the war in several other ways, like supplying them with things they needed. They decided to take control over things such as teaching jobs, industries, slaves, and family farms and businesses. Women from the North and the South volunteered as nurses during the
But despite patriotic statement and vigorous public against colonization, there was a greater margin among black abolitionists and white who claimed to be abolitionists alike black people. In 1833 sixty reformers from eleven northern gathered in Philadelphia, creating an antislavery movements named American Antislavery Society (AASS). Its immediate goal was to end slavery without compensation for slaves oweners and rejected violence and the used of force. People involved were Quakers, Protestant clergymen, distinguished reformers, including three blacks by the names of Robert Purvis, Jame...
many men were involved in the war, women finally had their chance to take on many of
When the American Civil War began on April 12th, 1861, over 3 million Union and Confederate soldiers prepared for battle. Men from all over America were called upon to support their side in the confrontation. While their battles are well documented and historically analyzed for over a hundred years, there is one aspect, one dark spot missing in the picture: the role of women in the American Civil War. From staying at home to take care of the children to disguising themselves as men to fight on the battlefield, women contributed in many ways to the war effort on both sides. Though very few women are recognized for their vital contributions, even fewer are
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. This act required that authorities in the North had to assist southern slave catchers to retrieve and return slaves to their owners. Southerners favored this act because they saw no slavery in the territories to the west, by the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act it would help preserve slavery in the south. This act allowed southern slave owners to get their slaves back when they escaped to the North that is why this act was important and critical to southern survival. The view of this act by the North was the opposite, especially from those who were black, they feared this act. The blacks in the North were terrified that this act would make it so they could be ushered back to the south even if they were innocent. This led to the creation of resistance groups in the North.
Clinton, Catherine. The Other Civil War, American Women in the Nineteenth Century: Hill and Wang, New York 1986
History books tend to relegate major credit to “men” for our country’s freedom and independence. There is no disputing that key male figures, like George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, led masses of troops into battle and composed monumental doctrine that has changed our history forever. However, we must recognize that these were not one-gender wars and women played an extremely significant role in the war effort.
Women were not only separated by class, but also by their gender. No woman was equal to a man and didn’t matter how rich or poor they were. They were not equal to men. Women couldn’t vote own business or property and were not allowed to have custody of their children unless they had permission from their husband first. Women’s roles changed instantly because of the war. They had to pick up all the jobs that the men had no choice but to leave behind. They were expected to work and take care of their homes and children as well. Working outside the home was a challenge for these women even though the women probably appreciated being able to provide for their families. “They faced shortages of basic goods, lack of childcare and medical care, little training, and resistance from men who felt they should stay home.” (p 434)
Until recently we haven’t really known or focused on the behavior of southern women during the war. From what we know they faced food shortages, crime, and an increased death toll. These women had to drop everything they’ve known to become the head of the household. There’s little that’s known about the enslaved and poor women during this time. These women did what they could to survive during a time that was dangerous because of the war. These women became more vulnerable, where the women were victimized by the males in the war. The Confederacy begins to try to control these enslaved and poor females rather than trying to earn their support. Women began being charged with new crimes including larceny, forcible entry, and rioting. This opposition of the Confederate seems to be women’s most successful form of disorderly conduct. Bynum claims that women “significantly alter the balance of power between warring men” (p. 149). Many poor white women went to the streets. There were mobs of women in each North Carolina County. These attacks were focused on merchants and Confederate agents; who were both extremely obnoxious towards these poor women. The poor people began to fear starvation more than the law, in the months leading up to the end of the war a mob of mostly women descended upon Granville
Dunne, Jemima, and Paula Regan, eds. The Civil War. New York City: DK Publishing, 2011. Print
Minkema, Kenneth P., Stout, Harry S.. "The Edwardsean Tradition and the Antislavery Debate, 1740-1865." Journal of American History 1(2005):47. eLibrary. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.
Knowles, H. J. (2007). The Constitution and Slavery: A Special Relationship. Slavery & Abolition, 28(3), 309-328. doi:10.1080/01440390701685514