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What Was The Abolitionist Movement

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Abolitionism is the act or action of abolishing a system, practice, or institution. The movement that is referred to as the Abolitionist Movement, was a movement that was formed to eliminate slavery completely. The early movement, that took place between 1770 and 1830, focused on eliminating the African Slave Trade. The early abolitionist believed they would be able to eliminate slavery altogether if they could eliminate the slave trade.
The early abolitionist were Quakers. Quakers who, as religious dissenters, were seen as on the fringe of society and even as dangerous fanatics, because of their belief in equality (AbolotionProject). Most of the people who were a part of the movement did not hold slaved. Abolitionist believes that slavery …show more content…

Defenders of slavery noted that in the Bible, Abraham had slaves. They point to the Ten Commandments, noting that "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, ... nor his manservant, nor his maidservant." (ushistory) They used tactics like the anti-slavery lobby. They wrote pamphlets and literature as well. Their literature cited that the slave trade was beneficial to Africans. They argued that African societies and cultures were unskilled, uneducated and savage. (AbolotionProject) The anti-slavery lobby argued in response to this that the African people were not inferior to them, and argued that all should be treated equal. The pro-slave lobby argued that ending slavery suddenly would kill the southern economy. They argued that their crops would go bad, or dry up. However, the anti-slavery lobby felt like any economic suffering they faced would be well deserved for their enslavement of human beings.
Although the abolitionist movement started around 1770, it wasn’t until 1807 that the “evils of the trade were generally accepted” (AbolotionProject) The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed. It was passed 100 votes to 34 votes This act abolished the trade in British Colonies. This was a major milestone in the movement. However, once this act was passed, many abolitionist lost interest in the movement. They thought that this was going to be the end of slavery, but it was not. Now the abolitionist had a new fight, slavery

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