Abolitionist Movement Research Paper

Frederick Douglass, abolitionist leader was born into slavery around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his 1800s he was a president’s advisor and diplomat, he also lectured to thousands on many causes that were around that time period, he even raised awareness for women’s rights. Douglass’s wrote many autobiographies describing his experiences in slavery and his life after the Civil War.

In 1845, Douglass published his first book which was an autobiography called the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. This book became very successful, becoming an American best seller and going international. He wrote many other books and became a famous influential writer. Douglass was a great voice for hope, making many speeches, against slavery and racism. He even traveled to other countries to speak about his story. During the Civil War, he advised President Abraham Lincoln, he worked as a propagandist for the Union’s views and freeing slaves.

We all realize during this day and age that slavery was just a terrible historical event in the United States during the early periods and there was a movement of Abolitionism that attempted to rid the United States of slavery. Abolitionist came from several walks of life. There were hundreds of abolitionist as well but some were at the forefront of this movement.

The Abolitionist movement started around the 1830s and lasted until 1865. This movement was a huge step toward our country’s future, attempting to end slavery and racial discrimination. People like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe persuaded others in their cause and elected those with the same views as them in political positions. William Lloyd Garrison started an abolitionist newspaper called the Liberator, Frederick Douglas also wrote a newspaper, called the North Star, and Harriet Beecher Stowe published a novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” These advocates, while they did not cause the Civil War, they contributed to this war by bringing attention to one of the country’s

In the 1830’s to 60’s, tension was building up in the United States. The country was fighting with itself over the controversial topic of slavery- until it exploded into a civil war. During these times, states were split into south and north. Southern states allowed slavery, while Northern states were free states- The Abolitionist movement first sought to abolish slavery, and get rid of racial discrimination immediately. However, this did not work- in 1862, the Civil War started, which split the entire country in two over the issue. Abolitionists, people who opposed slavery, were continuing to work to try to continue their plan to end slavery. Some, like William Lloyd Garrison, wrote newspapers, like the Liberator. Well known speakers like Frederick Douglass and Lucy Stone supported the movement, as did many. Abolitionists were also known to protect fugitive slaves after the Fugitive Slave Act, passed in 1850, which meant slaves within the Northern states could be prosecuted and brought back to the Southern states,

The Abolitionist movement was a reform movement that pursued to terminate the enslavement of Africans and people of African descent in American, Europe, and Africa. Abolitionist thoughts and ideas became more and more noticeable in Northern politics and churches starting in the 1830s, which subsidized to the hatred and bitterness between North and South leading up to the Civil War. One important abolitionist in this movement was William Lloyd Garrison. He was an American journalist and a militant abolitionist who helped lead this popular and successful abolitionist movement against slavery in the United States.

The abolitionist movement was an important time in American history. Abolitionists were people that opposed slavery which was an enormous problem in the South. African-Americans worked with white abolitionists to gain support and funds for the cause. Former slaves, white men, black women and all different types came together for the movement. Many abolitionists such as Sojourner Truth and Douglass were able to draw on their past experiences as slaves to tell about the horrible treatment of their peers.

Following the death of Captain Anthony, Douglass was sold to his son-in-law. Captain Anthony’s son in law beat Douglass repeatedly. One afternoon, while being beaten, Douglass fought back, and the beatings stopped. Motivated by his triumph, he decided to attempt to escape. Douglass borrowed the identification papers of an African American sailor while working at the shipyard ,and he escaped to New York. Douglass married an African American woman and settled in Massachusetts. While looking for work, Douglass became interested in the abolitionist movement. He then attended an abolitionist meeting where he gave a speech of his experiences as a slave. He was hired by the Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society to give speeches. Douglass traveled throughout Massachusetts giving motivational speeches. Then, persuaded by Harvard students, he decided to write an autobiography about his experiences as a slave. Later on two more autobiographies were published about Douglass, each more in depth than the last. Because of Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists similar to him, slavery has become a decreasing issue in the world today.

Harriet Tubman was also a successful abolitionist who made nineteen returns to the south escorting approximately three hundred people out of slavery within a ten year time span.  William Lloyd Garrison was one of the top abolitionists in the era until Frederick Douglas. He was a journalist and leading voice of abolitionism. In Boston, the early 1800s Garrison made one of the most remembered newspapers The Liberator. This paper grasped the attention of African Americans using vague language sometimes unpleasant to the readers but his points were understood.

Northern abolitionists did not overlook the utilization of viciousness in conveying a conclusion to subjection. Most Northerners were not abolitionists, and many were racial oppressors. The Northern culture was oppressive and did not concede blacks into places of power. A few Northerners favored moving the blacks away to a settlement abroad or in the West. Others needed to allow servitude to sit unbothered, and a couple of Northern daily papers pushed giving the South military help in future

Although Slavery took over Douglass’s early childhood as an African American young man he grew to become “a prominent figure in the abolitionist movement” and a very Prominent and well liked individual by the African American community (Whittaker). Some of those of the other races, who were a part of positive aspects on life, and those who wanted to do away with slavery. When Douglass returned to America he started to write more and became more involved in his political views and writing more about his views on equality at the time and dug deeper into slavery, since he was once a slave as well as the people he was speaking and fighting for. Him being more active in his culture he began his own newspaper.

“ Over a period of the Atlantic slave trade, from approximately 1526 to 1867, some 12.5 million slaves had been shipped from Africa, and 10.7 million had arrived n the Americas” (1). Now fast forward to before the time of the Civil War and think of how many more African Americans that have gotten kidnapped and brought to the Americas. That is a lot of African American people that were turned into abused slaves that had to work day and night for whites.

Abolition movements were a new thing growing in during the 1830s to 1850s. The first aspects were that it led settlers, such as slave owners, conduct a second thought as to what was happening towards the slaves. As Kelly States in his article, “Increasingly, the northerners became more polarized against slavery,” (Kelly 1). Slave owners and overseers had to keep a closer eye for any strange actions upon the slaves since they would not want to go through the trouble of having abolitionist among them causing mayhem. Another aspect was in created an uprising of now famous publishings to stop slave owners from keeping slaves and to set them free just like all the non color folks. As the article states, “Some major events including: the publishing

Frederick Douglass was a anti slavery activist, he was a former slave. He had his own newspaper. As a former slave he wanted no other person to experience

Fredrick Douglass was Born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland on February, 1818. His mom was also in slavery and his dad was the owner of the slave plantation (Douglass & O’Meally). He tried to escape slavery, but failed in 1836. He attempted to escape a second time two years later in 1938 and succeeded and went to New York City where many escaping slaves often went. (Timeline of Frederick Douglass and Family) He died in 1882 from a heart attack that occurred shortly after participating in a women’s rights meeting and lived to be 77 years old (Timeline of Frederick Douglass and Family) Some of his major accomplishments were that he was nominated to be the Vice President of the united states of America. Another noticeable thing he did was write a famous speech still quoted today and is considered a major part in demolishing slavery called “what to the slave is the fourth of