 Antislavery African American History: Ms. Bauer

What was abolitionism?  Abolitionism…  Was the organized movement to end slavery  Was multicultural and diverse  Involved many forms of resistance  Existed alongside slavery from the beginning  Also called antislavery or emancipation

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 5 Forms of Resistance: 1. Violent Revolt 2. Political Antislavery 3. Practical Abolitionism 4. Economic Resistance 5. Black Nationalism

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 1. Violent Revolt  Led by slaves and free blacks  Often in the South  Caused fear and violent retaliation in white communities  Inspired by the Haitian Revolution Examples  Stono Rebellion  1739  Charleston, SC  African slaves stole guns from a warehouse and killed over 100 whites  The Charleston government arrested 150 slaves and hanged 10 per week to shut down the revolutionary spirit

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 1. Violent Revolt  Led by slaves and free blacks  Often in the South  Caused fear and violent retaliation in white communities  Inspired by the Haitian Revolution Examples  Gabriel’s Conspiracy  Organized plan to revolt in 1800 in Virginia  Prevented, but caused fear  Louisiana Rebellion  1811 in Louisiana  Led by Deslondes, a Haitian slave driver  Revolutionaries caught and beheaded

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 1. Violent Revolt  Led by slaves and free blacks  Often in the South  Caused fear and violent retaliation in white communities  Inspired by the Haitian Revolution Examples  Vesey’s Revolt  1822 in South Carolina  The conspiracy was discovered and 35 suspects were hanged  Charleston expelled the black church, which they saw as threatening

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 1. Violent Revolt  Led by slaves and free blacks  Often in the South  Caused fear and violent retaliation in white communities  Inspired by the Haitian Revolution Examples  Nat Turner’s Rebellion  1831 in Virginia  Rebels killed over 60 whites, the largest number yet  Led other abolitionists to question the use of violence as a tactic

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 1. Violent Revolt  Led by slaves and free blacks  Often in the South  Caused fear and violent retaliation in white communities  Inspired by the Haitian Revolution Examples  Black Militants  Emerged in 1840s  Believed in the need for action, not just talk, against slavery  Encouraged slaves to revolt and run away  Called out white abolitionists for racism  Example: Henry Highland Garnet

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Antislavery Societies  Led mostly by Northern white men  Common among Quakers  Wrote abolition plans for gradual emancipation 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Antislavery Societies  Led mostly by Northern white men and Quakers  Desired gradual emancipation  Example: Society for the Promotion of the Abolition of Slavery  Example: Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Antislavery Societies  American Anti-Slavery Society was an integrated abolitionist group, though white men took the lead  Wrote petitions  Led Great Postal Campaign 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Publishing  Antislavery newspapers for both white and black audiences  Freedom’s Journal  The Liberator  The North Star  Slave narratives  Great Postal Campaign 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Speeches and Pamphlets 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  Liberty Party  New political party around the issue of abolition 2. Political Antislavery  Attempts to end slavery through governmental actions, interest groups, or public campaigns  Groups were mostly segregated by race and some by gender

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 3. Practical Abolitionism  Informal strategies to help slaves and to oppose slavery  Involved both slaves and free people in the North and South  Common among women, who were excluded from formal groups Examples  Manumission  Masters could issue free papers by deed or will  Slaves could purchase their freedom, or the freedom of family members

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 3. Practical Abolitionism  Informal strategies to help slaves and to oppose slavery  Involved both slaves and free people in the North and South  Common among women, who were excluded from formal groups Examples  Underground Railroad

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 3. Practical Abolitionism  Informal strategies to help slaves and to oppose slavery  Involved both slaves and free people in the North and South  Common among women, who were excluded from formal groups Examples  Black Churches  Spoke out against slavery within services  Nurtured future leaders  Motivated by the Second Great Awakening to encourage abolition for moral reasons

How did abolitionists resist slavery? 4. Economic Resistance  The use of economic pressure to end slavery  The belief that to end slavery, abolitionists had to make it less profitable  Led boycotts of slave- made goods  Pushed free-made goods Examples  Free Produce Association  Led by Quakers  Worked with the Colored Female Free Produce Society of Pennsylvania

How did abolitionists resist slavery? Examples  American Colonization Society (ACS)  Desired gradual abolition  Established Liberia in 1821 with U.S. government support for the migration of free blacks  Abolitionist, or pro- slavery? 5. Black Nationalism  Wanted to establish a separate colony in Africa for blacks to live independently from whites  Belief that segregation would benefit African Americans

What was the response to abolitionism? In the South…  Slavery and racism became more brutal to further discourage rebellion  Curfews and restrictions  Expelled free blacks  Gag Rule in Congress In the North…  African Americans were “partially free”  Slavery was abolished but…  Black laws limited the movement of and opportunities for African Americans  Free blacks could not vote

What’s the big idea?  Abolitionism…  Was the organized movement to end slavery  Was multicultural and diverse  Involved many forms of resistance  Existed alongside slavery from the beginning