Abolitionism essays

Abolitionism essays During the nineteenth century the United States of America was experiencing a period of transition. There were many attempts at reform to rebuild the nation and the issue of slavery was a major factor. Massachusetts born abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, played a huge part in trying to abolish slavery. There were also a quite a few black abolitionists in the North that played a role in the movement. Their philosophy, along with Garrisons, helped a lot in the movement to rid the country of slavery. William Lloyd Garrisons philosophy simply said, opponents of slavery should view the institution from the viewpoint of the black man, not the white slave owner. They should not, as earlier reformers had done, talk about the evil influence of slavery on white society; they should talk about the damage the system caused to blacks. And they should, therefore, reject gradualism and demand the immediate, unconditional, universal abolition of slavery. Another thing that bothered him was the mention of colonization. He believed that those who agreed with it were not emancipationists, but they were trying to strengthen slavery by ridding the country of blacks that were already free. He believed the only true way to get rid of slavery was to gives all blacks the rights of American citizenship. Garrison transformed abolitionism into a new phenomenon because earlier efforts rapidly lost strength and opposers of slavery had hit a dead end. There were a number of free blacks in the North who were victims of prejudice and mob violence in the cities. With all of the problems they faced, they kept in mind that they were still free. They used their freedom to aid others of the same race in the South who werent free. Many Northern blacks, in the 1830s, came to support Garrison. A free black man from Boston named David Walker, published an important pamphlet in 1892 called Walkers Appeal. The greatest orator ...