The abolitionist movement after 1830 had a greater impact on the nation as a whole then the antislavery movement before 1830 did. Antislavery movement slowly began to diminish and a new drastic form of opposition to slavery developed. The abolitionist movement had a greater impact because William Garrison drastically helped in creating abolitionism, blacks started to become abolitionist expanding the group in numbers, and soon after the movement started the drastic instances made it difficult to overlook. Once the antislavery movement began to diminish William Garrison an assistant of an antislavery writer went to Boston in 1831 and created his own newspaper called the Liberator. The meek philosophy Garrison came up with became groundbreaking. Garrisons said people should view slavery from a black man’s point of view, not the white man who is a slave owner. He also thought that people should not think of what black’s image had on society but think of the harm it did to the blacks. Garrison was the first member of the antislavery movement to publicly stated blacks needed complete and instant emancipation. He proposed that they didn’t want to just free the blacks but rid the country of them and just keep the slaves. The first issue of The Liberator was very intriguing, he demanded that he will be heard and it may be harsh but it’s the truth. Soon the works of Garrison attracted a large amount of people. He was able to establish the New England Antislavery Society in 1832 then American Antislavery Society in1833. By 1838 there were about 250,000 members of the societies. As abolitionism started expanding free blacks of the North took interest in the movement. The free blacks of the North lived in conditions far worse than the slave... ... middle of paper ... ...away slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe published a book called Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It was the most influential document of the abolitionist literature. The book showed emotions of slaves that were treated cruelly by Uncle Tom. Although abolitionism was dividing both sides knew the amount of damage slavery was doing by dividing America. They knew slavery had to be extinguished. Greater impact on the nation was definitely the abolitionist movement. The abolitionist movement was larger because William Garrison’s idea of starting abolitionism affected society view of slaves, since blacks joined the abolitionist group the groups’ numbers increased, and soon after the movement started the instances that took place made it difficult to overlook. Thanks to the abolitionist the nation saw how deeply it was being divided. Works Cited American History 14th Edition Alan 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.
In Ira Berlin's, ““I will be heard!”: William Loyd Garrison and the Struggle Against Slavery,” we learn of the inspiration and backlash generated from the publication of Garrison's, The Liberator. Although Garrison's homeland, New England, was already familiar with anti-slavery sentiment, Garrison's publication ignited much anger amongst his supposedly progressive neighbors. In large part, the negative reaction of the north, was due to the humanity in which Garrison asked America to show the black population. Not only did he call for the immediate emancipation of slaves, he denounced the cultural atmosphere of the entire nation in regards to blacks. Berlin states, “Whatever white Americans thought of slavery in principle, they had no desire
Abolitionists thoughts became progressively conspicuous in Northern places of worship and politics in the 1830’s which contributed to the territorial ill will amongst the North and South, essentially dividing the nation in two. The southern economy grew increasingly dependent on “king cotton” and the system of slaves that sustained it.
Abolitionism was around before the 1830’s but, it became a more radical during this time. Before 1830, Benjamin Lundy ran a anti-slavery newspaper. In 1829, Lundy hired William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison went on to publish his own newspaper the Liberator.
Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in 1852. This anti-slavery book was the most popular book of the 19th century, and the 2nd most sold book in the century, following only the Bible. It was said that this novel “led to the civil war”, or “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. After one year, 300,000 copies were sold in the U.S., and over 1 million were sold in Britain.
Even though the preceding events before the abolitionist movement of 1830 did have support, they only had a minority and did not connect the nation as a whole like the revolution did. The revolution of 1830 had a greater impression on the entire nation than the movements prior to 1830 because of William Lloyd Garrison and the various ways he transformed abolition, the influence of black abolitionists, and the advent of abolitionist politics.
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.
One of the most important figures for the antislavery movement was Frederick Douglass. Douglass fought for emancipation and eventually for black men to have full citizenship Egerton, p.89) . He spread many ideas that would push black people to have similar ideas of freedom. He helped collective thinking to form on slaves. Also, Douglass said that there were sacrifices that had to be made for freedom but that “no power on earth that could deny that he had earned the right of citizenship in the United States.” (Egerton. P.36) Another very important figure was Harriet Tubman. Her actions were very distinct to the actions of Douglass, never the less both worked towards the same goal. Tubman directed the raid of Combahee Ferry. She acted as a spy and led the union army to victory. Harriet was a former slave and because of this “they would tell anything, (…) so it became important that should would accompany them (…) to control and get information” (Brandford, p.39) for the raids along rivers and other plantations. With her actions Tubman prove the previous slave representation wrong. She showed the Union Army that slaves could be helpful for battle. Tubman took many risks and opportunities to get the trust of the union
Politics in America from 1846 to 1861 have been remembered mainly for being strongly influenced by slavery. It was the hot topic of the time. Abolitionism was on the rise while Americans who were proslavery stood by their beliefs. With the compromise of 1850 declaring Free states, the division of the north and south, incidents such as bleeding Kansas, the Dred Scott case, and the election of 1860, it was clear that American Politics were all about slavery.
Slavery in the eighteenth century was worst for African Americans. Observers of slaves suggested that slave characteristics like: clumsiness, untidiness, littleness, destructiveness, and inability to learn the white people were “better.” Despite white society's belief that slaves were nothing more than laborers when in fact they were a part of an elaborate and well defined social structure that gave them identity and sustained them in their silent protest.
Arendt, Hannah. “What Is Freedom?” Eight Exercises in Political Thought. New York: Penguin Group, 2012. 142-69. Print.
It may appear that in today’s America, slavery is looked down upon, and we’ve developed a long way from the past. However, before and during the Abolitionists Movement there were strong arguments for both sides of the subject. ("Arguments and Justifications: The Abolition of Slavery Project.") The gradual dominance in anti-slavery would not have been possible if people had not risked their lives and social standings to fight for the racial, social, legal, and political liberation for slaves. William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and the Grimke sisters are all prime examples of people who challenged pro-slavery, and protested the idea that one race was superior to another. Although abolitionists fought for their beliefs during this movement in the 1830s up to the year 1870 for the immediate emancipation of slaves, the ending of racial prejudice and segregation would not be possible if not by the influence of those courageous people, and should continue to be reinforced in today’s society. ("Civil Rights Movement.")
The period of time between 1820 and 1933 saw a surge in reform movements in the United States. This period of reform was ignited by the Second Great Awakening, a religious revival that occurred during the early 1800s. Individuals who were inspired by the Second Great Awakening wished to improve society, and thus set up several reform movements. The movement to abolish slavery was spearheaded by radical abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison. The abolitionist movement would ultimately conclude with the Union’s victory in the Civil War.
The movement against slavery had begun before the mid-nineteenth century; it was not new to anyone. However, during the mid-nineteenth century, the movements against slavery increased and gained more force. These movements were centered specifically towards the slavery system in the South. Before the 1830’s there were antislavery movements; after the 1830’s, abolitionist movements began. Despite the fact that both were against the same issue, both had different impacts on the nation.
The most important event in civil rights for African Americans between the 1600s and 1881, would be the first mention of the abolition movement which was in 1688. The first protest against slavery took place in 168 in Germantown. This was the starting point of the end of slavery as people began to revolt against. “In 1688, only seven years after William Penn received his the charter for his “Holy Experiment” based on religious freedom and tolerance, four German Quakers, none of whom had been in the colony for more than five years, issued the first formal protest against slavery in Pennsylvania; indeed, the first formal protest issued anywhere in Britain’s North American colonies” (Hull,1).