Who Were the Abolitionists in American History?

Abolitionists

• An abolitionist is an individual who advocates for the elimination of a practice, such as slavery or capital punishment.
• The most significant abolitionists in American history were active in North America from around 1829-1850.

Abolitionist Movement

• The abolitionist movement aimed to end slavery in America, following the abolition of slavery in Great Britain.
• Abolitionists believed that slavery was a weakness and a disgrace to the United States.
• They sent petitions to Congress, ran for political offices, and distributed literature to inform people in the South about the evils of slavery.
• The movement led to a political uprising, causing the Civil War, which ultimately extended voting rights to Black male Americans.

Notable Abolitionists

• David Walker: called for the abolition of slavery, denouncing it in a pamphlet in 1829, encouraging slaves to fight for their freedom.
• William Lloyd Garrison: founded the abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator" in 1830 and assisted in the formation of the New England Anti-Slavery Society.
• Frederick Douglass: a former slave who escaped to become a writer, speaker, and activist, advocating for the abolition of slavery in America.
• Henry Highland Garnet: an abolitionist who used a militant approach to end slavery, speaking against it in England and supporting the freedom of movement for Black people.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe: a writer who wrote a novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", highlighting the evils of slavery, which angered the South.
• Harriet Tubman: an abolitionist who escaped from slavery and assisted others to gain their freedom, also serving in the military and getting married while still enslaved.
• Sojourner Truth: an abolitionist who helped Black people escape slavery on the Underground Railroad, urging them to be hardworking and valuable to avoid exploitation.

Key Quotes

• David Walker: "Let no man of us budge one step, and let slaveholders come to beat us from our country. America is more our country than it is the whites-we have enriched it with our blood and tears."
• William Lloyd Garrison: "Be faithful, be vigilant, be untiring in your efforts to break every yoke, and let the oppressed go free."
• Frederick Douglass: "Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?"
• Henry Highland Garnet: "Let every slave throughout the land do this, and the days of slavery are numbered."
• Harriet Beecher Stowe: "The longest way must have its close - the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning."
• Harriet Tubman: "Slavery is the next thing to hell."
• Sojourner Truth: "Ain't I a Woman"