How the Abolition Movement Changed the History of Slavery in the United States

“Abolition Movement”

African Americans have not always been entitled to the basic rights and privileges of the people. There was a point in America when they could not vote, hold office or even own land. The African Americans got their rights through the efforts of several men and women, called Abolitionists. Abolitionism refers to antislavery activism and abolitionists were the men and women who provided the road to freedom to the enslaved Africans. Abolitionists made both violence and non-violence efforts to end slavery. The American abolition movement emerged in the early 1830s, with the goal to end racial segregation and discrimination.

Many Americans believed that slavery was right and they treated the African Americans very poorly. Most of the Africans were property to the white men and they were whipped, beat, and even killed at times. The impact of The Second Great Awakening and the pressure of other nations, getting rid of slavery, gave a push to the abolition movement. Many abolitionists were religious and believed that slavery was a sin and against Christ’s teachings. Abolitionists primarily wanted to end slavery in the South. Some abolitionists also began to demand racial equality. The idea of blacks being equal to white was extreme because racism was very strong, even in the North, which was traditionally anti-slavery. However, the common goal was emancipation of slavery.

Several methods were used to abolish slavery. Many abolitionists wrote articles, gave speeches, raised money, and some even called for violent rebellion to free slaves. Many new anti-slavery groups were formed such as the American Anti-Slavery Society (Philadelphia) in 1833, which then became widely known in the North by 1835. The AAS supported non-violence, petition slavery and wrote about how slavery was a sin. Some abolitionists had interesting ways of teaching abolitionism and they could easily convince people to help them free the slaves. In 1833, Oberlin College was founded....