Chapter 6, Lesson 4: The Abolitionist Movement Flashcards
What was Gradualism?
An abolitionist approach that believed that slavery needed to ended gradually (first, stop traders from bringing enslaved people; second, phase out slavery in the North and Upper South before ending slavery in the Upper South and then Lower South. Some believed slaveowners should be compensated for their loss
What was Colonization?
An abolitionist approach that believed that African Americans should be sent back to their ancestral homelands in Africa The American Colonization Society (ACS) was founded by anti-slavery reformers to ship them back to Africa (Liberia started as a result). However, not realistic, as slaves considered themselves American. Only ~15 moved between 1821 and 1860.
Describe Abolition
A new idea that began to gain ground among antislavery groups in the 1830s, largely due to the efforts of David Walker (a free African American from North Carolina) and William Lloyd Garrison, who started the antislavery newspaper, Liberator. This approach believed that slavery was immoral and slaveholders were evil. The only option was complete and immediate emancipation - freeing of all enslaved people
Who were some of key leaders of the Abolition groups?
(1) Women : Sarah and Angelina Grimke, South Carolina sisters
(2) African Americans: Free African Americans, who established at least 50 abolitionist societies and led protests and demonstrations. Key Leaders: Frederick Douglass, who published his own antislavery newspaper, the North Star.
How was the North’s response to abolitionism different from the South?
The Northerners who resisted abolitionism viewed it as a threat to the social system, which could lead to a North-South war. They also didn’t want to upset the Southern Economy that they relied on for cotton. The Southerners believed slavery was vital to their life (slaves worked in farms and plantations)
Why was a gag rule passed against abolitionist petitions?
Nat Turner, an enslaved man and preacher, led a rebellion that killed 50 Virginians. Southerners demanded that abolitionist materials (such as the Liberator) were incendiary, and should be suppressed as a condition to remaining in the Union. In 1836, the House of Representatives passed the gag rule
