African American Abolitionism

He supported a petition written by the Pennsylvania Abolition Society that acknowledged the Atlantic Slave Trade and slavery as “immoral”. James Madison formed committees to decide the elimination of slavery, which inspired representatives of the House to express how they felt. James Jackson strongly supported slavery and used the bible to justify it. He believed the success of the South depended on it. People began to fear slave uprisings.

As Douglass said in the seventh chapter in his book, he had learned of the word abolition and how it related to freedom and liberty. He learned of this by listening to other conversations about slaves who had run away, murdered their masters, or the like and heard it was from the ‘fruits of abolitions’. Douglass speaks about this instance because of the ferocity of the actions of those who would risk their lives to escape to the freedom of the north and the possibility of starting a new life. A consequent instance of Douglass speaking of his liberty is in chapter ten, in which, he prays to God as well as giving God a small damnation. In this section, Douglass criticizes God for cursing him and the African Americans to the hell that they must endure, but Douglass also begs him to save him, and he wished that, “... I were on one of your gallant decks, and under your protecting wing”( Douglass, 10).

The two documents “Abraham Lincoln Appraises Abolition (1854)” and “Douglass Looks Back on Abolition (1882)” refute each other on the subject of Abolition. Frederick Douglass took abolition as a very aggressive way to be against slavery while Abraham Lincoln saw it more intentionally than aggressive. Douglass was an avid abolitionist who really stretched for equality throughout blacks, females, and natives. He was apart of the newspaper The Liberator and was always making speeches on anti-slavery. Lincoln was Whig at the time of his speech but later became the leader of the Republican Party.

How did the U.S. justify slavery? The defenders of slavery included economics, history, religion, legality and social good. Argued that the end of slavery would result in the killing economic impact on the south where slave labour was the foundation of their economy. Also argued that if all the slaves were freed it would cause widespread unemployment and chaos. Defenders of slavery noted that in the Bible, Abraham had slaves.

The antebellum reform movement of abolition created conflict between differing sets of ideas and interests in the Northern and Southern regions of the United States. Northern states favored the destruction of slavery, seeing it as a violation of the “principles of justice...and the golden rule espoused by Jesus Christ” (Foner 436), and Southern states favored maintaining/expanding slavery due to the fact that “profits from cotton coursed through the whole...economy” (Alexis) down South. Slavery was what held the South in an agrarian state, while the North industrialized and the divide between the two deepened. Abolitionists fiercely battled Southern planters over the issue of slavery, for how could something so morally wrong be played off as right? The American public sphere purposely kept the discussion of bondage under wraps, but with tensions rising, it became a lot harder to oppress.

An abolitionist is a person who believes in the result of destruction towards a practice or law that has the tendency to hurt or cause damage to society. This movement consisted of multiple protests demanding the end of racial segregation and the disappearance of all slaves. Moreover, a source of verbal protesting used during the abolitionist movement was the Liberator. “In early 1831, Garrison, in Boston, began publishing his famous newspaper, the Liberator, supported largely by free African-Americans.” (Stewart)

In America, it was all about race and discrimination. It started out the same just a need for free labor, but since it was mostly black slaves it led to the thought that black people were only good for slavery. This made people think the black people were inferior just because of

The overwhelming growing population of free, black slaves was starting to concern the government of the United States. They feared that those who are still slaves would be motivated to impose for their freedom; therefore, revolt against the government. It was a problem they wished would never arise. In 1817, the American Colonization Society was formed. Their aim was to send free African-Americans in Africa, which they bought land in Liberia for the immigrants to settle in.

An example of this would be abolitionism and the opposition to slavery. In the 1800’s, slavery was widespread, but there were certain people who began to realize and vocalize that slavery was immoral and downright horrifying. These people were definitely a minority, who were thought of as crazy and bizarre. As the movement became stronger, the South portion of the United States of America formed the Confederate States of America, which started the civil war. In 1865, the civil war ended, adding the South back to the U.S., and abolishing slavery in America.

In many ways, John Brown’s death was the galvanizing agent of the long-brewing tensions over slavery. In his words, “If it is deemed necessary that [he] should forfeit [his] life for the furtherance of the ends of justice [...]—let it be done!” John Brown became the first martyr of the Civil War, attracting the support of many. Transcendentalist writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson released speeches and pamphlets on his behalf, forever memorializing him. Thoreau gave the speech “A Plea for Captain John Brown” on October 30th, 1859 deifying Brown: “Some eighteen hundred years ago Christ was crucified; this morning, perchance, Captain Brown was hung.

“Look nearer at the ungathered relics of those who have gone to languish in prison or to die in rescuing others or rescuing themselves from chains in Slave States, or look at that new saint, than whom none purer or more brave ever was led by love of men into conflict and death, the new saint awaiting his martyrdom, and who, if he shall suffer, will make the gallows glorious like the cross” (G). This lecture inspired many to see that John Brown is indeed a martyr and fought for slaves rights. Because of this, the abolition movement increased around the country because many people were then influenced by Emersons stance on slavery. Consequently in New England, towns were replete with church bells ringing at the time of his hanging, as well as many songs and paintings commemorating him. The song “John Brown’s Body” by James E. Greenleaf, talked about how Brown was sent by God to terminate slavery.

Along with the helping of migration, it also helped establish many schools for African Americans, and even two universities, Howard Institute and Howard University. The Bureau of Refugees also introduced a free labor system for the now free slaves. The Bureau of Refugees was a amongst the fundamentals for the road to equal rights for African

Reconstruction was in process because of the war. The Civil war destroyed much of the south. In many groups it was not wanted such as the KKK. The KKK was a group against equal rights throughout African Americans. Other groups supported the Reconstruction such as Freedmen, African Americans who were freed during the war, and Carpetbaggers, people who went south to help the reconstruction in the south.

The North covets to abolish slavery for African-Americans in the South. However, abolitionists helped slaves escape to the North. Abolitionist such as William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Gerrit Smith and Charles Lenox Remond were against practice of slavery. Document four explains how abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle

A large group of people believed killing Lincoln was a necessity to keeping slavery and the southern way of life (O’Reilly, 27). John Wilkes Booth thought it was his duty to kill the president. His hatred was so strong. In fact, he believed he was “the only man in America who can end the North’s oppression,” (O’Reilly, 26). People were wrong to think Lincoln would remove the Constitution because he did not have the power to do so.