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The Great Awakening Of The Antebellum Period

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The Antebellum Period was the time after the War of 1812 and just before the Civil War (Lapsansky-Werner). With the growing cotton plantation in the south, more slaves were needed and more slaves needed to escape ("Antebellum Period."). While the Antebellum Period brought the Second Great Awakening and Westward Expansion, it is also known for the uprising of abolition and anti versus pro slavery arguments ("Antebellum Period."). The antebellum period was overall a pivotal point in slavery and slave laws with laws like the fugitive slave act of 1851 and the Compromise of 1850 or rebellions like the Underground Railroad. Fredrick Douglass was also very influential in this time because he is a true example of a black abolitionist and his speech changed lives. Another important event in the Antebellum Period was the Abolitionist movement. Abolitionists wanted to abolish, or terminate, slavery because they thought it was unjust and wrong. One of the main reasons for the creation of abolition is the Second Great Awakening (McKivigan). The Second Great Awakening was a religious movement in the 1830s that, among other things, made people see that slavery was a sin and demanded the slaves be emancipated as an act of penance (McKivigan). Another reason for the Abolitionist Movement is the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1833, William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan began a huge controversy by founding the American Anti-Slavery Society ("Antebellum Period."). The society’s main

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