African Americans were always treated like animals by the whites. It was as though they didn’t even consider them people. By the 1800s, Blacks were getting sick and tired of how they were treated and decided it was time to make a change. So in the early years of the 19th century, Blacks created an organized antislavery movement. Unfortunately, this movement didn’t exactly last long and it wasn’t very effective either. But after 1830, a new leading figure emerged and his name was William Lloyd Garrison. He began an abolitionist movement that really changed the nation as a whole.
The movement that occurred before the 1830s had no real effect on the nation as a whole. The concept was centered on colonization. They were trying to get the freed African Americans to move to Africa or the Caribbean’s. They created the American Colonization Society, which challenged slavery without challenging the property of the slave owners. This movement wasn’t successful because, unlike the one that occurs later on, instead of trying to keep all of the African Americans together, they tried to separate them which didn’t help the cause of stopping slavery. It just helped it out. This was the difference between the early opposition to slavery and the later movement.
In 1831, Garrison launched his weekly newspaper, the Liberator. This newspaper was all about how people viewed slavery and how they viewed it in all the wrong ways. He argued that people shouldn’t view slavery as an evil influence on white society, but on how it makes African Americans look bad. He also spoke of the advocates of colonization, which were those who started an antislavery movement in the early 19th century, and how they weren’t really against slavery. They were really trying t...
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...it made sure to see that state officials didn’t help in the catching and returning of runaway slaves. Although the movement was good for slaves, this movement really divided the nation. Some people believed in taking matters peacefully and calmly, while others decided that violence and riots were the way to go. There was also an even bigger division between freed African American slaves and white people.
As you can see, the abolitionist movement in the 1830s was far more successful than the movement in the early 1800s. The movement in the 1830s changed the nation as a whole by dividing the country between abolitionists and anti-abolitionists. It also caused abolitionism of slavery to become a big thing. But the crusade Garrison cause, and the men and women who stayed alive was a constant reminder of how slavery was dividing America.
Works Cited
AMH 2010 brinkley
The abolitionist movement reached its peak between 1830 and 1860. During this period, abolitionists, those who "insisted slavery undermined the freedom, righteousness, order, and prosperity of all society" (McInerney, 8) sought to identify, denounce and abolish this cruel institution using their rights of free speech and free press. With free press and free speech "abolitionists depicted slavery as raw, aggressive power carrying in it's wake the seeds of political, social, economic, and moral dislocation" (McInerney, 18). In other words, the evils of slavery were expressed by abolitionists in an attempt to convince American society that slavery was not only morally wrong, but it also went against the goal of the republic, which was liberty and equality for all. Two prominent abolitionists during this period who utilized the right of free press were William Lloyd Garrison with the Liberator and Frederick Douglass with the North Star. When examining Garrison and Douglass it is apparent that they had different approaches to writing against slavery because of their separate background. However, these differences can also be attributed to the fact that their writing audiences, inspirations and motivations for publishing their respective papers were distinct. Garrison and Douglass also had different but very influential effects on the Abolitionist Movement. These do not make Garrison and Douglass opponents; instead they demonstrate how white and black abolitionists had different approaches, methods, and styles of conveying their common message of abolishing slavery.
The scope of the investigation is limited to the Second Great Awakening and the American Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839, with the exception of some foundational knowledge of the movement prior to 1830 to highlight the changes within the movement in the 1830s. The investigation included an exploration of various letters, lectures, and sermons by leading abolitionists from the time period and a variety of secondary sources analyzing the Second Great Awakening and the Abolitionist Movement from 1830-1839.
The Liberator, by William Garrison, and Frederick douglass, a black slave, during the 19th century were things that had provoked the minds of America to become aware of the need to abolish slavery. Frederick Douglass had been known for his leadership in the abolishment of slavery; and The Liberator, a weekly newspaper founded by William Garrison, was known for sending this message about promoting the freedom of the enslaved blacks of America. Having subscribed to this newspaper, it gave him reasons to do the things that he was known for (Russell). It impacted him by making him become more aware of the terrible acts of slavery; it made him have the urge to contribute by helping other’s who were blinded by propaganda to understand the immorality of slavery; and, one of the most important reasons of all of all, it caused him to become one of the most commonly known activists of slavery’s abolition.
In conclusion, Garrison used the Liberator as a platform for his relentless pressure to the south for a change in its value system and viewed the region as a target. He looked at the north as a region that was not committed to fully changing the system of slavery but knew that he was in a unique position to be heard there. By Garrison being steadfast and holding to the principle of immediate emancipation he could very well have been the spark that ignited a revolt to end slavery and inequality. Ideals and principles are not always held in such high regard but Garrisons ability to use them and not turn from those attributes even in the face of death and to stand on an island made him special to a cause looking for a leader and a scapegoat to a group looking for someone to blame for a sense of rebellion from those they oppressed.
Abolitionism quickly gained popularity since 1821 when William Lloyd Garrison assisted in writing an anti-slavery newspaper, The Genius of Universal Emancipation, with Benjamin Lundy. In 1831, abolitionism continued to grow in popularity when William Lloyd Garrison started The Liberator. Although there remained not a need for slaves in the North, slavery remained very big in the South for growing “cash crops.” The majority of the abolitionists who inhabited the North organized speeches, meetings, and newspapers to spread their cause. Initially, only small revolts and fights occurred. However, major events along the way led to the Harpers Ferry Raid. For example, with Kansas choosing whether or not to become a free or slave state. That became the biggest event up until John Brown’s Raid. John Brown had always despised slavery, and this enhanced his chance as an organized revolt. The effect of his raid on Harpers Ferry affected what the South thought about abolitionists and the power that they held.
The abolitionist movement caused major impact on the nation as a whole compared to the antislavery movement before the 1830s. This was due to the major support received in the 1830s by all the leaders that arouse at this time. The commotion caused by all the propaganda published during this movement. As well as the spark left in the nation by the antislavery movement in the nation before 1830s.
The abolitionist movement of 1830 had a more influential impact on the nation than the antislavery movement prior to 1830 because of William Lloyd Garrison and the ways that he transformed abolition. Before 1830, there were movements that were against slavery but none made an impact enough to stop slavery in the South or to call attention to the horrors of slavery. William Lloyd Garrison challenged the restricted fight against slavery by voicing his philosophy through his weekly newspaper, the Liberator. Garrison used his paper to show a new perspective on slavery. He stated the hardships that slaves had to go through and he quickly attracted a large group of antislavery followers known as the New England Antislavery Society. This society eventually grew across parts of the nation and became the American A...
The antebellum American antislavery movement began in the 1820s and was sustained over 4 decades by organizations, publications, and small acts of resistance that challenged the legally protected and powerful institution of slavery and the more insidious enemy of black equality, racism. Abolitionists were always a radical minority even in the free states of the North, and the movement was never comprised of a single group of people with unified motivations, goals, and methods. Rather, the movement was fraught with ambiguity over who its leaders would be, how they would go about fighting the institution of slavery, and what the future would be like for black Americans.
Black and white abolitionists shared common assumptions about the evil of slavery, the "virtue of moral reform", and the certainty of human progress"(1). Schor, Garnet,1877, & Lanngston, 1989). This shared understanding provided "the basic for the interracial solidarity" and cooperation so vital in the crusade against slavery"(2). (Schor and Garnet, 1877). But blacks also brought a distinct perspective to the antislavery movement. Their abolitionism was shaped profoundly by their personal experience and racial oppression. Unlike most white abolitionists, they conceived of antidlavery as an all-encompassion struggle for racial equality, and they took a more pragramatic, less doctrinaire approach to antislavery tactics. The contrast between the two abolitionists -- black and white -- become increasingly apparent in the 1840s and 1850s as black expressed a growing militancy, asserted greater independence, and called for racially exclusive organization and initiatives.
Abolitionists were people in the mid-1800s who dedicated themselves to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Almost completely northern-based, abolitionists dealt with strong opposition in the early years of their moral campaign, most of that opposition coming from southern-folk. Among these great reformers were Frederick Douglass, a freed slave who became literate, and William Lloyd Garrison, a very radical abolitionist who converted many people to abolitionism. Slavery propaganda floating about in the mid-1800s displayed slaves pleading, “Am I not a Woman and a Sister? (Document C)” and, “Am I not a Man and a Brother?” which exemplified the push for equality among races (whites and blacks in particular), liberty, justice, and life—all core democratic values—that the Abolitionists were trying to achieve. Given the intentions of...
The antislavery movement caused no effects in the nation. In actuality they tried to find a way to not disturb Southerners. However it had no strength and faded. Now the abolitionist movement was a major reminder of how slavery was dividing America. The abolitionists were not people who did not make political commitments lightly. They were more inflamed and provoked powerful opposition.
In the year 1826 Fredrick Douglass realized that he would eventually escape slavery. He would recount this thought four times in his life when he has to become most rebellious in order to survive slaveholders attempting to establish control and dominance in different ways. Each time one comes along Douglass responds using a different form of retaliation or rebellion to show his masters that they don’t own as much control over him as they think they do. All of these attempts to resist his masters control, slavery, and what slavery stood for were detrimental to Fredrick’s escape but the most influential one, the resistive act that started, and kept, the ball rolling was Fredrick’s determination to become literate. Knowledge is power and without his ability to read and write Douglass would have never escaped slavery or written a Narrative of his life.
Abolitionists were focused upon in the North and tried to get their message across to those owning slaves in the South. They expressed moral disapproval but engaged in few out-in- the-open activities. "To the extent that there was an organized antislavery movement, it centered on the concept of colonization-the effort to encourage the resettlement of American blacks in Africa or the Caribbean." (Brinkley, American History 342) Among these Abolitionists, was a famous U.S. journalist who published The Liberator and helped lead the successful Abolitionist campaign against slavery in the U.S. In his first issue of The Liberator, he boldly states his opinion on the issue of slavery: "I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation....I am in earnest-I will not equivocate-I will not excuse-I will not retreat a single inch-AND I WILL BE HEARD." (www.britannica.com) The Civil War forced Garrison to choose between his pacifist beliefs and emancipation. In December 1865 he published the last issue of
William Lloyd Garrison was one of the most radical social reformers during his time, and was the publisher of The Liberator which a newspaper that highlighted the Abolitionists’ Movement’s cause. He advocated the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves although it was an unpopular view amongst people, even to those residing in the North who were against slavery.Garrison managed to remain passive, the amount of violence from those who did not agree with him. He obtained numerous death threats, and the State of Georgia’s government even offered a reward of $5,000 for his arrest. Despite of this, he continued in getting his views across, and burned a copy of the Constitution on J...
“Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source of serious evils. The unhappy man who has been treated as a brute animal, too frequently sinks beneath the common standard of the human species. The galling chains, that bind his body, do also fetter his intellectual faculties, and impair the social affections of his heart… To instruct, to advise, to qualify those, who have been restored to freedom, for the exercise and enjoyment of civil liberty… and to procure for their children an education calculated for their future situation in life; these are the great outlines of the annexed plan, which we have adopted.” - Benjamin Franklin. As you can see, the Abolition Movement and the Dred Scott Decision had a huge impact on the outcome and events of the civil war.