Democratization and Slavery Abolition, “Corruption” & the Slave Power Conspiracy

Frederick Law Olmstead 1.Cavaliers leisurely, graceful 2.Cultivated South & North Music of Stephen Foster

Reality 1.“Yeomen” farmers 2.Society organized to perpetuate slavery curfews patrols militarization violence

Statistics : 12M southerners 8M whites 4M slaves (1/2M free blacks) 2.Unequal distribution upper South La. & Miss. S.C.

I. Slavery and Southern Society Profits Politics Preaching

A. Profits of slavery 1.Industrialization & slavery 2. economic hierarchy 10%, %, -20 ¾ = no slaves at all

B. “Corruption” of politics 1.Defensive mentality Denmark Vesey, 1822 lay AME preacher Nat Turner, 1831 blamed on abolitionists John Brown’s Raid, 1859

2. Expansion Texas, Mexico, Great Plains illegal, aggressive, immoral Cuba, South America

3. Subversion of civil liberties Gag Rule, (1 st Amendment) Federal mail vigilantism 4. Fugitive Slave Act, 1850

Slave Power Conspiracy Control over federal government Systematic violation of civil liberties Wars to expand slavery

C. Christianity and slavery 1. 2 nd Great Awakening, 1830s – 50s redemption of the individual - not appreciated in the South

2. Slavery as anti-virtue destroyed family exploitation of women corruption of parenthood

III. Rise of Abolitionism Underlying causes Precipitating causes Inflames pre-existing passions

A. Underlying cause 1.Horizontal society - threat to Free Labor, Free Soil ideologies 2. Mass politicization - opposition to Slave Power

B. Evolution of American Protestantism 1.Liberal Protestantism (Quakers, Unitarians, Transcendentalists) - downplayed “sin” - freedom of conscience, personal Truth

2. Evangelical Protestantism (Congregationalists, Methodists, Baptists) - reform Man, reform institutions - literal truth of Bible (fundamentalism) - emphasis on morality William Lloyd Garrison Liberal & Evangelical Protestantism grow in 2 nd Great Awakening

C. Tactics of abolition 1.Never a majority - often mistrusted “radicals” 2.Civil disobedience H.D. Thoreau Underground RR

3. Empathy Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a woman?”, , Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 4. Black voices Frederick Douglass David Walker Sojourner Truth Harriet Tubman

D. Did abolition work? Yes and No… - did not convince majority of Northerners to end slavery by legislation - polarized public opinion on slavery compromise increasingly unlikely