Abolition

1. Abolition Unit 5.3

2. Early Movements • Early movements in North during the late 1700s. • Ben Franklin founded 1st anti-slavery society in Colonies • Quakers in Pennsylvania one of the leading group • Manumission to those who served in Revolutionary War • Topic in Declaration and Constitution formation - Compromises • American Colonization Society – founded in 1817 • Only about 12,000 sent to Liberia (Capital named?) • Not very successful as slavery grew from 1.5 to 4 million from 1820 to 1860.

3. What’s the Difference? • Abolition – ending of slavery • Emancipation – freeing of slaves • Manumission – freeing of slaves by the owner

4. Abolition Newspapers • William Lloyd Garrison • The Liberator • Called for immediate abolition • Seen as radical (also included women in movement) • Frederick Douglass • The North Star • Gave speeches with firsthand experience • Wrote an autobiography too • Escaped Slave Why named North Star?

5. The Women Abolitionists • Sojourner Truth • Isabella Braumfree • Mother of 13 children • Escaped slave • “Ain’t I a Woman” speech helped convince many women to get involved in abolition movement • Harriet Beecher Stowe • Wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin • This dime novel changed the view of many about slavery. • Lincoln’s quote when he met her

6. The Underground Railroad • Consisted of “conductors” and “stations” that helped escaped slaves to reach freedom in the north or even Canada. • Most famous conductor – Harriet Tubman (“Moses of her people”). Helped over 300 people, but the threat of her was an even bigger impact in the South. • Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850 to help the South, but was ignored by many with Personal Liberty Laws and antislavery forces in the North.

7. Slave Revolts • There were not many large ones in America, but the treat of a revolt made the South have stricter slave codes. • Stono Rebellion in 1739 • (Gabriel) Prosser’s Rebellion in Virginia in 1800 • Haitian Rebellion led by Toussaint l’Overture had major impact • Nat Turner’s Rebellion in 1831 (55 whites killed) • John Brown’s attempt at Harper’s Ferry in 1859

8. Southern Reaction • Although less than 10% of southerners owned slaves, most supported the “peculiar institution.” (but not all!) • Many in south (“Apologists”) argued that their system was better for the workers than the North’s factory system due to “family bonds” and care for injured and elderly. • Pro-southern books by George Fitzhugh (Sociology for the South - 1854and Cannibals All – 1857). • Anti-slavery books like Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Hinton Helper’s Impending Crisis of the South (1857) banned in many places.

9. Political Parties • Liberty Party – ran candidates in 1840s • James Birney • Free-Soil Party – also against the expansion of slavery in new areas • Republican Party – began in 1854 • Antislavery from complete abolition to those who did not want any expansion. • 1st Candidate – John Fremont in 1856

10. 1854 – Turning Point • After the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, the sectionalism increased and passions became stronger on both sides. • Women became more involved. • Republican Party started.

11. Abolition and Connections • Other social reforms such as Women’s Rights developed during the perfectionist movement of the 1830s and 1840s. • Many of the Women’s leaders got involved in abolition. • Transcendentalist writers and 2nd Great Awakening ideas also contributed. • Slavery would legally end in the United States with the 13th Amendment in 1865.

12. Links • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aFdnar-8Y8 – short cartoon (2:30) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4T1d6IZe44 – Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin (3:00) • http://www.theliberatorfiles.com/ - Garrison’s The Liberator • http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/abolitionism/abolitionists.htm -abolitionists in America

13. Reflection Questions • Was the continuing use of compromises with the issue of slavery a negative in American History? • How did Truth and Stowe change the abolition movement to make it more active? • Why would women suspend their fight for their right to vote in order to join forces with the abolitionists? • Could the Civil War have been avoided or did we just reach the point of no return?