8.9.1
Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., John Quincy Adams and his
proposed constitutional amendment, John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet
Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Weld, William
Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass).
Leading the abolition of slavery movement, which took a great amount of effort
and people to do so, were several determined men and women of the early 1900's
who strongly felt that African Americans should be treated equally. The more
famous abolitionists include William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass,
Theodore Weld, John Brown, John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Harriet
Tubman. Some others include Benjamin Lundy, Charles Lenox Remond, Sojourner
Truth, Sarah Parker Remond, Harriet Beecher Stowe, David Walker, William
Whipper, Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy, James Forten, Senior, and Robert Purvis,
Senior. They all played important roles in abolishing slavery, no matter how
little a detail they were involved in.
William Lloyd Garrison, an elderly man from Boston that was a former white indentured
servant, created the Liberator, a famous abolitionist newspaper started
on January 1, 1831. He was actively involved in many societies regarding the
abolition of slavery, which included the American Anti-Slavery Society, a
multiracial society that tried to distribute anti-slavery literature to the
North and South, and the American Colonization Society, where people in the
organization believed that free Blacks should immigrate to a territory on the
west coast of Africa. Garrison socialized easily with free Blacks in the North,
and was very determined to abolish slavery, for in his first edition of the
Liberator, he stated with amazing energy and willpower, "I will be as
harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish
to think, to speak, to write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is
on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from
the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from
the fire into which it has fallen; but urge me not to use moderation in a cause
like the present! I am in earnest – I will not retreat a single inch – and I
will be heard!" William Lloyd was one of the greatest influential
antislavery leaders.
Frederick Douglass, a famous Black abolitionist that was born a slave in Talbot County,
Maryland, in 1817, was treated well when he was young because he was gifted.
However, instead of staying with his master, he escaped in 1831 by impersonating
a free Black sailor and moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, being cared for by
David Ruggles. Without harsh rules he had to follow by, Douglass started reading
the famous newspaper, the Liberator, and other wonderfully written
material by some famous abolitionists, such as William Lloyd Garrison, and
became involved in the American Anti-Slavery Society, for he wanted to help
other slaves win freedom because of the experience he had as a slave before. The
interesting writing styles of literary works and his wonderful posture,
intelligence, humor, articulation, and sarcasm allowed him to become a marvelous
speaker, lecturer, and writer. After learning to read and write by himself, he
decided to write about his life, thus creating his well-known autobiography,
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, which was published in 1845.
His owner immediately tried to track him down after the publication of the book,
but Douglass fled to England and became well-known there, too. He finally
returned to the United States after working hard to purchase his freedom, and
was regarded highly as the most famous Black abolitionist.
Theodore Weld, an architect of the American Anti-Slavery Society that was born in 1803
and died in 1895, often sent men out to lecture people about the cause of
antislavery. He was known for his lectures and speeches on self-control and
moral reform, the discovery of the Lane Theological Seminary in 1833, and the
creation of the Lane Seminary Debate held in January 1834, which was based on
the anti-slavery dispute. He helped cause the success of the American
Anti-Slavery Society's purpose in the United States in the 1830's, lecturing
continuously to the citizens his intellectual thoughts about the abolitionist
movement. Though he and his men would sometimes be attacked by hostile crowds of
people against their anti-slavery speeches, they caused several people to loath
the abusiveness of slavery, a great accomplishment made by such few men.
John Brown, an enthusiastic abolitionist leader that felt God chose him to end
slavery, was supported by several New England antislavery associations. In 1857,
Brown started to formulate a plan to free slaves by armed force. He secretly
recruited supporters, which included fugitive slaves from the establishment he
created in western Virginia. On October 16, 1859, Brown and his men finally put
his plan into effect, seizing the United States arsenal and armory at Harpers
Ferry, Virginia, hoping to gain enough ammunition to attack all slaveholders.
However, Colonel Robert E. Lee and marines under his command recaptured the
ammunition by surrounding Brown and his men two days later. Ten of his men died
in total during the attempt, including his two of his wonderful sons, and Brown
was hanged for convicting treason, conspiracy, murder in the first degree, and
advising people to rebel.
John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States that lived from 1767 to
1848, attempted to introduce amendments to the Constitution in 1839. He wanted
to prevent any person born in the United States from being born a slave, getting
involved by supporting Amistad Africans in writings during the 1840's. Adams
eventually joined the abolitionists and fought for the freedom of African
Americans in arguments before the United States Supreme Court. John Quincy Adams
once wrote in a letter to Arthur Tappan on July 15, 1845, declaring, "No action
of mine can…contribute…to the abolition of Slavery." This means that the
abolition of slavery would have to start with a state, and several people would
have to agree with his idea of abolishing slavery before any action would be
created, for he once wrote a letter to the House of Representatives complaining
about slavery, but they refused to accept it. If many people get together and
rebel like they did in the American Revolution, change will be created. Slaves
will be free with help from others. Change cannot be created by one single
person.
Benjamin Franklin, born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, by a soap maker and his wife,
was active in the antislavery movement. A man of several talents, Benjamin was
part of the Society of Friends, the first whites in Europe to criticize slavery,
and disliked the idea that Blacks were being treated differently from others.
He, along with his Quaker friends, tried to end slave trading, for they felt
that once the trading stopped, slavery would be eliminated. In the 1760's,
Benjamin and other Quaker abolitionists attempted to drive out slaveholders,
which influenced a British party to create their own antislavery organization.
Franklin was also chosen to be the first president of the Pennsylvania Society
for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, for he had been involved in the movement
ever since the 1730's.
Harriet Tubman, a brave Black woman that risked her life guiding African Americans to
the North, was one of the most involved among the Underground Railroad
activists. She assisted numerous escaped slaves gain freedom, and was very
rebellious in her efforts when the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was
created because of her intense determination. She had several strategies in
helping the slaves, such as carrying sleeping powder to quiet babies and setting
out on Saturdays for specific reasons. Tubman never lost a person, for she was a
great conductor.
More Information:
1.
http://www.encarta.msn.com/
Provides information on any major person, event, place, or interesting object/creation in the past that is related to our world. Go to
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761577199
for information on John Quincy Adams.
2.
http://www.africana.com/
Relates to anything related to African Americans, such as the abolition of slavery movement. For more information on the abolitionists, go to
http://www.africana.com/Articles/tt_278.htm.
3.
http://www.gliah.uh.edu
Has information on American history; provides valuable information, timelines, maps, etc. A wonderful site to go to would be
www.gliah.uh.edu/black_voices/black_voices.cfm
, which discusses anything that relates to slavery.
4.
www.yale.edu/glc/index.html
Talks about slavery, slavery opposition, and abolition of slavery in the past;
includes quotes, letters, cartoons, and their translations.
Recommended Books:
1.
1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History
by Jeffery C. Stewart