The Goals Of The American Abolitionist Movement

The Goals Of The American Abolitionist Movement

The American Abolitionist Movement

The instant emancipation of slaves and the end of racial discrimination, segregation, and abuse were the goals of the American abolitionist movement. Unlike moderate anti–slavery advocates who pushed or gradual emancipation as well as other activists who argued to restrict slavery to certain areas in hopes to avoid slavery being spread west, the call for immediate emancipation is was set abolitionist apart. This movement was mainly fueled by the religious excitement of the Second Great Awakening. This awakening motivated many people to support the emancipation of slavery. These ideas increasingly became popular in northern churches and even in politics in the 1830s. This also contributed to animosity between the north and the south, leading to the Civil War.

The Second Great Awakening was a period of religious revival in the United States between 1790 and the 1840s. This movement brought widespread conversions, social activism, and the emergence of new Christian denominations. This wave of religious revival stimulated the establishment of many reform movements which were designed to remove the evils of society before the extremely anticipated second coming of Jesus Christ. Being that slavery was seen as one of these evils, this revival encouraged many slaves to demand their freedom.

Before the 1830s, slavery was discovered calmly. Since slavery was banned in the North, most of the early abolitionists were southerners. The first abolitionists were Quakers and free blacks. Quakers believed that all people have the same 'spark of divinity,' making slavery immoral. They were also among the first to free their slaves. Some Quakers even traveled the countryside urging slave–owners to free theirs.

In the 1820s, a large anti–slavery movement emerged, supported by southerners and represented by organizations such as the American Colonization Society. Benjamin Lundy urged southerners to free their slaves, and for the nation to help free blacks move back to Haiti, Canada, or Texas, which during this time was still apart of Mexico. Lundy tired to use persuasion rather than attack and condmen slave owners. However, because of the increasing profitability of cotton production, they were

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