6) abolitionism sentiment in N Flashcards
1
Q
what were the religious roots of ab in usa?
A
- original driving force were QUAKERS
- 18th cent- used moral principle basis to attck it- esp idea of equality before God
- eventually various Protestant dominations contribute (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists)
2
Q
what legislation surrounded slavery in N pre- 1845?
A
- N states gradually abolished slavery- first Vermount in 1777
- by 1820, ended in virtually all N states
- 1787 NorthWest ordinance- kept sl out of vast northwest territory
- 1808 Congress declared African slave trade illegal, following Britain
3
Q
what drawbacks (for abs) were in N c. 1845?
A
- freeing slaves in most N states was a gradual process- eg Conneticut still had slaves in 1848
- may N slave owners just sold their slaves to Ss rather than freeing them
- ## most white Ns still held same predjudice & racist views as white Ss.
4
Q
what successes had abs had before c.1848?
A
- before 1830, scattered anti sl groups mostly in uppper S- 106 emancipation groups in sl states, urging Ss to voluntarily free their sl, 24 in free - most Ss beleived sl a necessary evil
- by 1820s anti sl sentiment stirring in N black ppl and some whites
- 1829- Daniel Walker ( a free AA citizen) published pamphlet: ‘Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World’–> preached INSERRECTION & VIOLENCe as a response to sl- circulated widely among N blacks and white sympathisers
5
Q
what does ‘gradualism’ mean in this context?
A
molst abs in 1800-30s believed in gradual emancipation w financial compensaion for sl owners
6
Q
what was the colonisation movement
A
policy that freed slaves should be returned to Africa
- stirred hostility from many As:
- many S opposed manumission
- N and S dissaproved of spending public money on the project
- most AAs regarded themselves as Americans first whether sl or free- recieved little black support as were unsuited to life in Africa as white As.
7
Q
what was the Amercian Colonisation Society?views/
A
- first national soc, est 1816
- no of prominent supps- Daniel Webster, James Maddison, Henry Clay
- 1822- purchased area on West Coast of Africa (later Liberia) as a base forreturning freed slaves
- little succes of this policy- only some 15,000 AAs returned to A by 1860, whilst US’ slave pop had increased to 2mil
- never enough funds to free & transport more than a fewslaves
8
Q
what was the ab movement?
A
- varied- some cons, some more radical
- world- wide movement, Britain had abolished sl in its colonies 1833- British anti sl writings recieved wide aud in US
- most leaders well- educated & wealthy
- urban movement rather than rural- strong in New Eng, Ohio Valley, NY
- many white abs had condescing views/ even antipathy to blacks
- women , ex sl played key roles
9
Q
who was william lloyd garrison?
A
- Bostonian
- thought sl was a crime & a sin
- rejected notion of gradualism & colonisation & compensation- demanded ab immediately, w/o clear way how
- jan 1831 launched new ab NP the liberator
- involved in other reform movements- eg womens rights & temperence- supps saw him as a dedicated idealist
- a pacifist opposed to physical violence- supp N breaking from S so could avoid all responsibility of sl
- many critics in N and S- saw him as self-rightous bigot
- one of leading abs, but his infl sometimes exaggerated- TL circulation never over 3,000, 75% of whom free blacks- onloy reinforced views
10
Q
who was Theodore Dwight Weld?
A
- probs most effective ASS agent
- est a new theological school Oberlin College in Ohio in 1834- set abt spreading ab message
- 1836 set up a training schl for anti sl lecturers- from which 70 ‘apostles’ went out in pairs to create an anti sl org network in N
- drifted away from movement after split of ASS- declined to go w either group
- publication:
a. 1837- The Bible Against Slavery
b. 1839- Americna Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses- incl examples of atrocities against slaves- sold 100,000 copies in first year
11
Q
who was frederick douglass?
A
- ex sl
- born in Maryland to an enslaved woman &her white owner
- spent youth as a field-hand/ household servant
- unlike most sl- taught to read & write
- 1838 fled N to work on docks in Massachutes & married free black woman
- 1839- joined Massachutes Anti Sl Society & became one of its agents by 1841
- effective speaker to N auds- wrote Narrativeof his life 1845- best-seller along w UTC
- in Britain 1845-7, then returned to A & broke w WLGarrison who rejected political means to end sl
- purchased his freedom & settled in NY- edited series of anti sl periodicals, incl North Star- renamed Frederick Douglass’ Ppaer 1851
- close friend of John Brown but refused to join his raid on Harper’s Ferry, anf fled to Canada after raid’s failure, returned to US
- helped recruit AAs into Union Army in Civil War
- held no of gov positions, ended career as US consul general to Haiti
12
Q
what was the National Anti sl Society?
A
- skilled leadership & organisation- lead by likes of Garrison, Lewis, Arthur Tappan (from NY)
- by 1838 had 250,000 members- pledged to the immediate abandonment of sl w/o expatriation
- paid ASS agents tos spread across N to lecture, (- incl lecturers- Grimke sisters Angelina & Sarah, came from prominent sl holding S Carolinian fam), distribute tracts & asist fugitive slaves & free blacks
- produced a mass of anti sl literature, w aid of free steam press
- frequent large petitions org to Congress
13
Q
why had ab grown in pop by 1840s?
A
- imp of religious revival of 1800s- religious soc & ch had imp role in ppl’s lives
- upsurge in EVANGELICAL PROTESTANTISM ( passionate beleif of Christianity and desire to share it w ohers ) known as Second Great Awakening- evangelical preachers eg Charles G Finney, fired up As to battle the sins of the world, incl sl
14
Q
how was N racism a prob for ab?
A
- remained strong- movement only had limited appeal
- local anti sl groups often provided less than full memberships for blacks- & some white abs opp to full equality
- many Ns feared a N exodus of slaves & effect this crusade would have on S- often attacked abs in mobs, so abs became martyrs- eg Elijah Lovejoy
- racism seen as stronger in free than slave states- not used to seeing as many black ppl
15
Q
how was limited political succes a prob for ab?
A
- failed to winn whig or democrat supp so set up own P- the Liberty Party
- 1840, its pres candidate James Mirney won only 7,000 votes
- not all abs supp the P’s creation- wanted to work through maj Ps
- Garrison avaoided pol, refusing to vote under the Us const, which he regarded as a pro sl document
