1817 - Anti-slavery Movement (21 янв 1817 г. – 4 фев 1835 г.)

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Constitution: In 1787, the Constitution avoided dealing with slavery as they wanted to keep the states united. The founding fathers actually foresaw that slavery would eventually need to be addressed, but it remained unresolved.
American Colonization Society: In 1817, the first attempt to try and do something about slavery took place when the American Colonization Society was founded. It intended to send free Black people to Africa, forming the colony that became known as Liberia. Some people were genuinely against slavery altogether, while some others just wanted to reduce the Black people population in North America. However, most Black Americans did not want to leave as they already considered North America as their home; just a small group migrated to Africa.
Shift to Immediate Abolition: There was eventually a shift to try and end slavery for good, instead of gradually reforming. William Garrison was one of the most prominent, bravest, and passionate abolitionist figures who launched The Liberator in 1831, demanding the end of slavery. He was particularly hated by southern slaveholders and some northerners, but his ideas and his passion really inspired other abolitionists.
American Anti-Slavery Society: In an effort to keep on pushing for the end of slavery, the abolitionists brothers Arthur and Lewis Tappan founded the Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and aligned with several churches to try and spread the anti-slavery message. By 1840, more than 160.000 people were already members of these society, dedicated to spreading anti-slavery literature across the country.
David Walker: This person was another important free Black abolitionist, who particularly highlighted the contradictions of Catholic Slaveholders, and emphasized the humanity/human nature of black people, posing the question of whether black people were less deserving of freedom than white men.
The Role of Women: Women were not really allowed to participate in public life or public matters, including the anti-slavery movement, though most reformers were from the growing middle class society and were participating in different churches and charities. The Grimkè Sisters were two key female abolitionists, who came from a family of slaveholders, and who were early supporters of the women’s rights movement. This ended up causing some division as some people believed this movement should be solely focused on slavery.
Internal Factions: There was a faction that believed Garrison’s anti-slavery moral campaign was unlikely to lead to the end of slavery; therefore, this faction ended up addressing this matter through politics by creating the Liberty Party, by which they were trying to end slavery through elections; this ended up foreshadowing the political support which helped Abraham Licon in 1860.
Black Anti-slavery Movement: There were a lot of white people who didn’t want Black activists to have the same status within the movement. However, this opposition didn’t prevent some key Black figures from standing out; among them:
Frederick Douglas: he was a key figure, escaping slavery and delivering powerful public speeches. He wrote his own autobiography and started an abolitionist newspaper called the North Star.
Harriet Tubman: he was a key and fundamental piece in the initiative to help slaves escape through a secret network of routes.
Resistance to Abolitionism: Abolitionists experienced a lot of resistance; there was even one editor who got killed by a mob. Some Southern opposed the anti-slavery movement because of racism and economic interests, stating that ending slavery would impact their economies and threaten their jobs.
Political and Legislative Conflicts: John Adams submitted petitions to end slavery to Washington DC’s Congress. However, the Congress passed a “gag rule” which essentially blocked and table (set aside) any petitions or issues related to slavery, so that the Congress couldn’t even discuss these matters. However, John kept on fighting until he was able to get the gag rule repealed.
Prelude to Civil War: As the abolitionist movement continued to grew between the 1830s and 1840s, the debates over slavery started to get more and more tense and conflictive, especially between Northern and Southern states. Northern states were deeply opposed to the expansion of slavery to new territories and states, as slavery was not as widespread as in the south. However, Southern states were heavily reliant on slavery for their economy, and they actually supported the expansion of slavery and the institution or practice itself. As discussions and conflicts over slavery continued to grow, the division between both regions of the country became more and more accentuated and obvious, which ended up turning into something bigger: Civil War. The fight over slavery was not of course the only factor; the struggles between the North and South were rooted much deeper within aspects related to power balances and control.

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