The Abolition Movement was the start to bring an end to slavery. Americans risked their lives to protect the lives of others that they felt were not treated fairly in society. Abolitionists were people who wanted to put an end to slavery and provide slaves with the freedom that they deserved. How can a country centered around, "All men are created equal..." not provide equal freedom to all of its people? This was a question that bothered many abolitionists which is why they set off to change the lives of slaves for the better.
Well known Abolitionists
One of the most well-known abolitionist was Frederick Douglass. He was not only an abolitionist, but a former slave as well. Another characteristic that makes him stand out is the fact that he was educated. This allowed him to give his account of slavery from a first person point of view. Douglass believed in non-violent protests. However, he came to the realization that there would need to be some violence in southern slave states. An important part of Douglass’ contribution to the abolitionist movement was his newspaper, "The North Star." He created this in hopes that it would advance the abolitionist movement. It was successful. Another successful piece of writing was The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass which empowered many people to join the abolitionist movement in response to this compelling work. If you would like to learn more about this abolitionist, Click the button below to watch a video about his life.
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This is an artists rendition of Frederick Douglass as he writes the first copy of his own newspaper,"The North Star".
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Above is a photo of Harriet Tubman, shown on the left, and a family that she was trying to help escape to freedom.
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Another popular abolitionist, who was a woman, was Harriet Tubman. Her main contribution to the abolitionist movement was the way she was able to escort slaves through the Underground Railroad in order to reach freedom in the North. She transported nearly two hundred slaves to freedom within only fifteen trips to the southern states. She was seen as such a big threat to plantation owners that they had placed a $40,000 reward for her capture. Without Harriet Tubman the Underground Railroad would not have been as successful as it had been at freeing slaves.
To learn more about the amazing journey of Harriet Tubman's life, Click the button below
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Quakers
Abolitionists were people that supported an end to the inhumane practice of slavery. One of the first groups that was a part of the abolitionist movement were the Quakers. They upheld laws that stated that people should only buy slaves if they plan to give them their freedom. A renowned Quaker, Benjamin Lay, wrote the novel All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates (1737) which projected the opinion that slavery should be completely rejected in America, and this convinced many Quakers to follow this ideology. However, his work was seen as almost too radical because many Quaker meeting houses did not allow him to join. However, that did not mean that Quakers would not ban slavery because by 1758, slavery was banned, and anyone in the Quaker community that practiced it would be removed. |
Above is a picture of abolitionist and Quaker Benjamin Lay with, most likely, his novel All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates.
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