Nonviolent Resistance Dbq

Enslaved people and abolitionists would use both violent and nonviolent methods of resistance. The first form of resistance is violent resistance. Violent resistance was more common among abolitionists but uprisings among enslaved people happened as well. The reason uprisings among enslaved people were not as common is because they did not have access to proper weapons. An example of this is Nat Turner's uprising (Document A). Nat Turner believed that she had received visions from god and that it was her mission to lead an uprising (Doc A). She went and got around 70 enslaved people and hopped from plantation to plantation on a rampage (Doc A). They killed around fifty-five men, women and children (Doc A). This was very effective at creating

An example of this is with the Underground Railroad (Doc A). The Underground Railroad was a network of black and white abolitionists that helped enslaved people escape to the north. Running away was more common, and less risky, than creating a rebellion (Doc A). The Underground Railroad helped around one thousand people escape the institution of slavery each year (Doc A). Another example of nonviolent resistance is Harriet Tupman's work (Document C). Harriet Tupman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, and not only defied stereotypes of black Americans but also the stereotypes placed on women (Doc C). She helped around 70 enslaved people escape, as well as helping her family escape (Doc C). Harriet Tupman was nicknamed "Moses” by William Lloyd Garrison, referencing the biblical character that freed the jews from the Egyptians (Doc C). All in all, different forms of resistance not only helped enslaved people escape, but also instilled fear in slave

The south was starting to get tired of the north because of how different their political views were. The north wanted to abolish slavery for a multitude of reasons, which include moral obligations, job opportunities for immigrants, and religious obligations. The south wanted to keep slavery because on top of being the main industry in the south, owning slaves was also part of someone's reputation in that time. Without slaves you were basically nothing in the south. The first example of how polarized the political scene was is with the "Southern Chivalry" cartoon (Document E). During an argument over slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska act, Charles Sumner insulted Preston Brook's uncle (Doc E). This caused Brooks to lose it and he started beating Sumner over the head with his cane (Doc E). This is an example of how the country was basically holding together by a thread, and the smallest thing could push it over the edge. Another example of how polarized the scene was Abraham Lincon's "House Divided" speech (Document H). Lincon talks about how with every passing day, the country becomes more divided (Doc H). He says that the country will not be able to go on much longer if one half wants to abolish slavery and the other half wants to keep it (Doc H). Two years later The Union would