Abolition Movement Ideas and Leaders

The daily life of slaves. Living Conditions – large families in one-room cabins; unbalanced diets, no running water or poor sanitation Some slaves became artisans Allowed to marry and have children Many subjected to Cruel Punishments and denied basic human rights Could be sold and separated from family at anytime.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion August 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia Nat Turner, a black religious leader led 70-75 slaves on attack They killed 60 whites, including men, women, and children Spread fear among slave owners States passed stricter laws controlling activities of free and enslaved blacks

ABOLITION when a law or a system is officially ended Principles behind Abolition Movement Political – “All men are created equal” Religious – equal in the eyes of God Abolitionists wanted the immediate, emancipation of all slaves. Involved men and women

Who Were the Abolitionists?

Frederick Douglas Escaped from slavery at age 20 Wrote 3 autobiographies Published anti-slavery newspaper, The North Star Toured the North giving speeches and appearing at public anti-slavery events. Supported Women’s Rights Movement Frederick Douglass

William Lloyd Garrison From Boston Published The Liberator, 1831 Organized New England Anti-Slavery Society, 1832 Went to Europe to gain support for abolition Saw slavery as morally wrong

Harriet Beecher Stowe Born into a religious family of Abolitionists Wrote the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1853 after meeting runaway slaves and hearing their experiences Book was a best seller that made many Americans aware of the evils of slavery

John Quincy Adams In 1836, Congress passes the GAG RULE – preventing any bills restricting or ending slavery Q. Adams fought against the gag rule calling it unconstitutional. The gag rule was finally suspended in 1844

Harriet Tubman Most famous “Conductor” of the Underground Railroad After escaping herself, she made 19 separate trips back to the South and helped about 300 slaves escape to freedom She was called “Mama Moses” She served as a spy for the Union during the Civil War

Underground Railroad Study Guide Question #8-How did the Underground Railroad operate? Secret network of abolitionists who worked together to help runaway slaves reach freedom in the North or in Canada Runaways would travel 10-20 miles before they reached the next “station” which would be houses, barns, or cellars of white or free black people who chose to help them escape. They would be helped along the routes by people like Harriet Tubman, called “conductors”