chapter 12, section 1 road to civil war abolitionists
TRANSCRIPT
Abolitionists:Chapter 12, Section 1
Reactions to social injustice can lead to reform movements. Many reformers turned their attention
to eliminating slavery.
Road to Civil War
Early Efforts to End Slavery• Main Idea: By the early 1800s, a growing number of
Americans had begun to demand an immediate end to slavery in the South.
• William Lloyd Garrison:– Fought strongly for the right of African Americans to be
free. Shared outrage at notion that people could be bought and sold as objects... “Is this a man or a thing?!” (referring to Frederick Douglass)
• Spirit of reform of early 1800s led to– Improvements in education– Expanding the arts– Abolitionists working to end slavery
More Early Efforts…• Prior to American Revolution…
– Constitutional Convention of 1787• Tried to reach compromise on slavery
• Let each state decide
– By early 1800s Northern states had ended slavery
• Religious revival and reform of mid-1800s renewed antislavery movement– Many came to believe slavery was wrong, but not
everyone agreed and conflict continued to build
– Benjamin Lundy, newspaper founder, spread message• “I heard the wall of the captive. I felt his pang of distress, and
the iron entered my soul.”
American Colonization Society• Formed 1816
– First large scale antislavery effort made up of group of white Virginians
– Aimed at resettling A.Americans in Africa/Caribbean– Attempted to free slaves by purchasing them and
sending them abroad to start new lived– Raised money from private donors, Congress, state
legislatures to purchase colony in Africa• Liberia – “place of freedom”
• 1847 Liberia became independent country– American emigration to Liberia continued until Civil War– 12,000-20,000 settled in Liberia from 1822-65
American Colonization Society cont.
• ACS did not halt or stop growth of slavery– Number of slaves still increased– Could only resettle a small number of slaves
• Many African Americans considered US their home– Didn’t want to leave toanother country– Born here, lived herefor generations– Wanted to be free inTHEIR country
1. Why did delegates at the Constitutional Convention agree to let states decide whether to allow slavery in the first place?
2. What are some reasons that enslaved African Americans might NOT want to emigrate to Liberia if given the opportunity?
3. How did the American Colonization Society fight slavery?
The New Abolitionists• Main Idea: The issue of slaverybecame the most pressing socialissue for reformers, beginning inthe 1830s.
• The Movement Changes...– Reformers realized that a gradual
approach fails, that slavery still
increased because of cotton boom in
the Deep South
– But by 1830 movement took on new life, becoming the most pressing social issue
William Lloyd Garrison• One of the first white abolitionists; stimulated growth of
antislavery movement
• 1829, left Massachusetts for Baltimore– Went to work for country’s leading antislavery newspaper
• 1831, returned to Boston– Found (abolitionist) newspaper The Liberator
– “I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD”
– Called for the “immediate and complete emancipation” of enslaved people
• 1832, started the New England Antislavery Society– By 1838, grew to more than 1,000 chapters or local branches
The Grimke Sisters• Sarah and Angelina
– Two of the 1st women to publicly speak against slavery– Born in wealthy SC slaveholding family before moving
north to Philadelphia• Lectured/wrote against slavery• “As a Southerner, I feel that it is my duty to stand up…against
slavery. I have seen it! I have seen it!”
– Persuaded their mother to give them their inheritance, in the form of slaves (not money/land) and freed them
– Together – with Angelina’s husband – wrote publication American Slavery As It Is, sold over 100,000 copies in first year
African American Abolitionists• Abolition of slavery was an especially important
goal to the FREE African Americans of the North– Many lived in poverty in cities
– Excluded from most jobs
– Often attacked by white mobs
– STILL proud of their freedom and wanted to help those still enslaved
• Organized and directed American Antislavery Society, subscribing many to The Liberator
• 1827, Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm started country’s first African American newspaper, Freedom’s Journal
• David Walker, born free, wrote against slavery– “America is more our country than it is the whites’–we
have enriched it with our blood and tears”
• 1830 free African American leaders met in first convention in Philadelphia– Met to “devise ways and means for the bettering of our
condition”
– Wanted to start first African American college
– Encouraged emigration to Canada
Frederick Douglass• Most widely known African Americanabolitionist for Escaping slavery (1838) &teaching himself to read and write• As a runaway, could have been captured/returned to slavery• Joined the Massachusetts Antislavery Society
– Traveling/speaking all over US, London, West Indies• For 16 years he edited antislavery newspaper North Star• Returned to US insisting slaves must receive freedom AND
full equality• 1847, finally bought freedom from slaveholder whom he
had fled
Sojourner Truth• AKA Isabella “Belle” Baumfree
– Escaped in 1826 and gained official freedom in 1827
– Recovered a son who had been sold as a slave
– Settled family in New York City,
supporting them by doing various
domestic work
– Dedicated life to abolition and
women’s rights movements
• Chose new name “because from
this day I will walk in the light
of truth”
1. What content in the book American Slavery As It Is made it so influential?
2. In what ways was life similar for enslaved African Americans in the South and free African Americans in the North?
3. Why would African Americans who escaped slavery risk being recaptured by speaking and writing against it?
4. Why did Frederick Douglass return to the United States?
The Underground Railroad
• Main Idea: Abolitionists established a network of routes and risked their lives to help African Americans escape slavery.
• Outrage in Boston– Runaway slave, Anthony Burns,
caught and returned to slavery– Abolitionists attempted to
rescue Burns and buy his freedom, but failed
The Fugitive Slave Act• (1850) Required all citizens to help catch runaways.
Could be fined/imprisoned for aiding fugitives– Southerners believed it would force Northerners to
recognize their rights
– Instead, enforcement angered Northerners, convincing more people of the evils of slavery
• Slaveholders upped efforts to catch runaway slaves– Tried to capture runaways who had lived free for years
– Seized free African Americans who weren’t even runaways and forced them into slavery
Resistance to the Law
• Northerners refused to cooperate with new law– Underground Railroad helped runaways make their way
to freedom
• Antislavery groups tried to rescue those being pursued or captured, others contributed funds to buy freedom
• Northern juries refused to convict those accused of breaking the Fugitive Slave Law
Harriet Tubman• Slave in Maryland, worked in
plantation fields until she was 30 before
making a break for freedom using
Underground Railroad
• Aware of the risk, she made 19 trips
back to the South during the 1850s helping other slaves (300!) escape to the North
• Known as the “Moses of her people” successfully leading slaves to freedom
1. Explain how African Americans and Southern slave owners might view the Underground Railroad differently.
2. Why do many of the routes on the Underground Railroad lead to Canada?
3. What was the Underground Railroad?4. Describe the American Colonization Society’s solution to
slavery.5. How did William Lloyd Garrison help the abolitionist
movement?6. What role did Harriet Tubman play in the antislavery
movement?