Preview

Abolitionist Movement

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
776 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Abolitionist Movement
Abolitionist Movement

The Abolitionist Movement was one of the major events that impacted slavery in America. The Second Great Awakening was one of the events that made abolitionist realize the sin of slavery, which eventually led to the Abolitionist Movement. It was not only one, or two but a group of different people who raised awareness about slavery. The abolitionists were men and women of good will and colors who faced the cruel choice that people in many ages have had thrust upon them. Frederick Douglass, William Garrison and Sojourner Truth were three important abolitionists who impacted slavery in a great manner.

Frederick Douglass an abolitionist who was once a slave who suffered. Even though Frederick escaped to the North when he was 21 in 1838, abolitionist did not discover him until 1841. Frederick began to give anti-slavery speeches, which was how the abolitionists found him. Nothing could stop Frederick from giving lectures about anti-slavery, not even threats or beatings. Fredrick was now an important person that affected the society and slavery as a whole; he became the most prominent of the black abolitionists. In 1845, his classic autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, was published. The narrative described his challenges as a child born in Maryland and raised with a black slave mother and abandoned by a white father. Also, his difficulties in reading and writing. Frederick’s speech amazed everyone, Mary A. Estlin said: “Our expectations were highly roused by his narrative, his printed speeches, and the eulogisms of the friends with whom he has been staying: but he far exceeds the picture we had formed both in outward graces, intellectual power and culture, and eloquence.” Many abolitionists, including Frederick, used politics as a way to end slavery; therefore they backed the political parties. First they backed the Liberal party in 1840 then the Free Soil party in 1848, and finally the Republican Party in 1850s.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    He educated himself and became determined to escape the horror of slavery. He attempted to escape slavery once, but failed. He later made a successful escape in 1838. Frederick's life as a slave had the greatest impact on his writings. Through slavery, he was able to develop the necessary emotion and experiences for him to become a successful abolitionist writer. He grew up as a slave, experiencing all of the hardships that are included, such as whippings, scarce meals, and other harsh treatment. His thirst for freedom, and his burning hatred of slavery caused him to write Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and other similar biographies. In his Narrative, he wrote the complete story of his miserable life as a slave and his strife to obtain freedom. The main motivational force behind his character (himself) was to make it through another day so that someday he might see freedom. The well written books that he produced were all based on his life. They all started with Douglass coping with slavery. He had a reason to write these works. As a die-hard abolitionist, He wanted to show the world how bad slavery really…

    • 1974 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1793. It stated that any slave owner could turn in any fugitive slave with proof of course. Additionally, those who provided shelter for the fugitives were also liable to arrest. However, this act began to lose its touch. Abolitionists began ignoring it and created The Underground Railroad. So, hoping to revive the act, another one was passed in 1950.…

    • 67 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Most people say there are two sides to every story, but there can only be one side to the story of people, being denied as to having equal rights, no matter their color or creed. It 's only reasonable to believe that to be true to this principle, slavery had to be abolished. The fact that many slave owners were prestigious people in history such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding father acknowledges the consequences slavery America 's moral history, while illustrating how difficult it might be to conform to the social standards in that era while defending slavery as a necessary evil. Abraham Lincoln’s stance on slavery remained one of the central issues in American history at the time. Around the period when Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation, many debates for this decree were being perpetuated by both black and white abolitionist. The brutal disagreement would tear apart the North and the South states which was carried to its fullest extent in the United States in the years before and during the Civil War.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Abolitionist Movement involved both White and African American people, free or slave, male or female, famous or not famous, all of them contributed to the movement to eradicate slavery. Back in 1873, the American Anti - Slavery Society found 29 anti - slavery societies in Connecticut alone. To reach their goal of abolishing slavery, they had employed several methods including colonization schemes, legal or political actions, expressing slavery as a sin and “Moral Suasion” (Appealing to the ethic principles of the public to convince them that slavery was bad and wrong). They also used several “Weapons” such as anti - slavery publications, conferences, public speech, purchases, legal challenges and petitions to the General Assembly and the…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    -Frederick Douglass was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement from Massachusetts and New York, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writings. In his time he was described by abolitionists as a living counter-example to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Even many Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The novel The Book of Negroes, written by Lawrence Hill depicts the life of a female African named Aminata, and her rough journey while having to endure slavery. From childhood to adulthood, Aminata faces many tragedies and has many horrifying experiences. Aminata is chosen by members of the abolitionist movement to help their movement and she possesses unique features. Aminata however, does not believe that she would make a difference, but her long life chaning, and horrifying voyage says otherwise.Therefore with her experience, strong character, and ability to adapt to a variety of different environments and situations, Aminata is beneficial to the abolitionist movement.…

    • 1196 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to “The Journey: A History of the African American Experience Pt. 1”, abolition is defined as total and immediate ending of slavery. The movement to abolish slavery in the United States began in the 18th century. Some whites believed it was wrong to want freedom from England and still engage in slavery. Others believed that the act of slavery was moral and defended by God. Conflicting beliefs on slavery started various abolitionist attempts that eventually grey into the anti-slavery movement (The Journey, pg. 342).…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Frederick Douglass was an Abolitionist, social reformer and writer. He wrote one of his several autobiographies ‘Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself” in 1845. Throughout the story it's clear to see he's targeting the free states of the north and highly looked upon people in America to realize how wrong slavery is and that they should help take a stand against it. Although many people believe slavery wasn't a bad or threatening thing, Frederick Douglass believed that slavery was an abomination and needed to be stopped; therefore he wrote his autobiography to share and prove to people about what life as a slave is really like, in an effort to persuade them to help in the effort to abolish slavery altogether.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    History records Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator, yet ardent abolitionists of his day such as William Lloyd Garrison viewed him with deep suspicion. That the 16th president eventually achieved the abolitionists' most cherished dream, says biographer Allen Guelzo, happened through a curious combination of political maneuvering, personal conviction, and commitment to constitutional principle.…

    • 5760 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Brown Abolitionist

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages

    John brown the radical abolitionist who believed in the violent overthrow of slavery. Brown was born in Torrington, Connecticut and he spent most of his childhood in Ohio. Brown’s father, was a very religious man, whose Calvinism formed the pillars of this family’s household. His professional life and some business failures which made him go into bankruptcy at age 42 and making him have more than 20 lawsuits filed against him. During the bleeding Kansas Brown led attacks on pro slavery and justified his actions as the will of God, soon becoming a hero in the eyes of Northern Extremities. Dealing with Brown meant coming to terms with violence that he unleashed.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is historian James Brewer Stewart's thesis that the massive social changes and revivalism in the 1820's had started New England's abolitionist crusade against slavery.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass he explains the word abolition. He explains ways he learned what it meant. Douglass was good listener, this was the way he learned what abolitionists was. He explains in paragraph 7 "I was eager to hear anyone speak of slavery. I was a ready listener... I could hear something about abolitionist. It was some time before I found out what the word meant." Although he heard it very often he was still confused about the full meaning. Douglass didn’t want to ask anyone what the meaning was. He stated "it was something they wanted me to know very little about." After awhile Douglass was able to get city papers that contain petitions from the north for the abolition of slavery. This is when he fully…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Douglass was sold to Baltimore and unable to go to school, so he taught himself how to read and write. At 20, Douglass escaped slavery, and on September 3rd, 1838, he fled to New York City and declared himself a free man. In 1845, Douglass published his first of three antislavery autobiographies, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in order to quell doubts that he was not truly a fugitive slave. Douglass moved to Rochester, NY, where he continued his to push his abolitionist agenda. He allowed his house to be a station on the Underground Railroad, and published his second autobiography, My Bondage and My Freedom, in 1855. During the Civil War, Frederick Douglass continued to push his message of equality. He recruited African Americans, including two of his sons, to fight on the side of the Union, and he even personally went to meet with President Lincoln to advocate for African American troops who felt unequal amongst the corps. One particular quote from My Bondage and My Freedom summarizes one of the main arguments of the abolitionist movement as a whole. It states, “Should a slave, when assaulted, but raise his hand in self-defense, the white assaulting party is fully…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As America progressed during 1865 to 1932, African Americans have experienced a variety of American liberty. There were many hurdles African Americans had to overcome before they reached any type of freedom. The first challenge they had to overcome was that they were slaves and considered to be property, not a person. Once this was outlawed, they had to overcome the discrimination from the government and other Americans. They finally achieved some of the benefits of American freedom by being able to vote, work in industrial jobs, and express themselves through art.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abolitionist Differences

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In their passages, Garrison and Douglass took an abolitionist stance towards the subject of slavery, whereas Fitzhugh defended slavery and listed why, in some ways, it was better than free labor. As a result, there seems to be very little agreement between the two sides on the subject of slavery.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays