Abolitionism Abolitionism in the United States was essential to causing the Civil War during the nineteenth century. Many abolitionists in the North, such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, felt that slavery was a sin against God and published newspapers and pamphlets to share their views. Other abolitionists, such as John Brown, felt that the only way to abolish slavery was to forcefully free the slaves. However, people in the South did not see what was so wrong about owning a person as property and felt that these newspapers and pamphlets were an attack on their way of life.
Sectionalism began to form as tension between the Northern and Southern states grew. Soon enough, war broke out between the states and the Civil War had begun. Abolitionists such as John Brown, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison were major contributors to the movement to abolish slavery. John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry opened many people’s eyes to the issue of slavery. Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave spoke of his life as a slave and showed how bad slavery really was.
He also published his own newspaper called the North Star which informed the public of slavery. Also, William Lloyd Garrison published the famous abolitionist paper, the Liberator which demoted slavery and promoted African American rights. He also began the American Anti-Slavery Society which was the first organization to demand an immediate end to slavery. Other publications such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe also contributed to the rise of abolitionism. By contributing to the rise of abolitionism, these abolitionists also contributed to the start of the Civil War.
Tension between the Northern states and the Southern states grew as the rise of abolitionism increased. The more the Northern abolitionists protested, the more the Southerners felt their way of life was being attacked. There were many pamphlets and newspapers being published, as well as speeches being given by abolitionists which demoted slavery. The Southern citizens were outraged and responded in violence. The tension grew between the Northern states and the Southern states and sectionalism began to form. This tension soon exploded and the Civil War started.
The protests led by abolitionists along with their newspapers and pamphlets resulted with numerous violent outbreaks between the Northern and Southern States. These outbreaks then lead to the beginning of the Civil War. The United States Congress also greatly contributed to the Civil War. When the American Anti-Slavery Society sent petitions to Congress which called for an end to slavery, they ignored it. Instead of addressing the issue at hand, Congress imposed the gag rule. The gag rule stated that Congress would not accept any petitions from the American people that dealt with slavery.
When Congress deliberately avoided addressing the issue of slavery, the problem was never solved. So abolitionists kept protesting and the tension between the Northern and Southern states grew until finally civil war between the states broke out. The cause of the Civil War was clearly abolitionism. The movement to end slavery in the United St1ates caused violent uprisings, the formation of sectionalism, and tension between the Northern and Southern states. These actions were further aggravated by Congresses ignorance towards petitions, John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, and the many publications of the North Star and the Liberator.
The abolition movement caused many issues which were essential to starting the Civil War. Images: • "Influence of Prominent Abolitionists: The African-American Mosaic (Library of Congress Exhibition). " Library of Congress Home. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. loc. gov/exhibits/african/afam006. html. • "Africans in America/Part 4/Portrait of Frederick Douglass Close-up. " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2962b. html. • "A Bio. of America: The Coming of the Civil War - Maps. " Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Resources by Annenberg Media. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. ttp://www. learner. org/biographyofamerica/prog10/maps/. • "John Brown Picture. " Google Images. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://images. google. com/imgres? imgurl=http://www. steveisler. com/Civil%2520War/files/images/129. jpg&imgrefurl=http://www. steveisler. com/Civil%2520War/files/civilians. htm&usg=__psTkgJR9weRvEVOmWzIHozbJMH0=&h=1348&w=1138&sz=254&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=3YEu_IfLWnkvzM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJohn%2BBrown%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG. • "Anti-Abolitionist Cartoon. " The Liberator Files. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. theliberatorfiles. com/liberator-photo-gallery/. "Remembering Black Loyalists - Gordon, an American Slave. " Nova Scotia Museum. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://museum. gov. ns. ca/blackloyalists/18001900/people1800/gordon_lg. htm. Information: • "American Anti-Slavery Society - Ohio History Central - A product of the Ohio Historical Society. " Ohio History Central - An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History - Ohio Historical Society. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. ohiohistorycentral. org/entry. php? rec=832. • "The American Experience | John Brown's Holy War | People & Events | The Secret Six. " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/brown/peopleevents/pande06. tml • "William Lloyd Garrison. " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561. html. • "William Lloyd Garrison and The Liberator []. " Ushistory. org. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. ushistory. org/us/28a. asp. • Abolition. The McGraw-Hill Companies Glencoe. Print. • "Harpers Ferry. " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2940. html. • "John Brown, Abolitionist, Harpers Ferry. " Civil War, American Civil War, Reconstruction. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. civilwaracademy. com/john-brown. html. • "Frederick Douglass. " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. rg/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539. html. • "The American Experience | John Brown's Holy War | Timeline (1884 - 1910). " PBS. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/brown/timeline/index. html. • The Liberator Files. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. theliberatorfiles. com/. • "Biography of Frederick Douglass-Champion of Civil and Women's Rights. " Frederick Douglass Speeches-Seminars on Race Relations and Gender Equity. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www. frederickdouglass. org/douglass_bio. html. • Abolition – Camp Followers. Vol. 1. Milestone Documents in American History. Print. • The McGraw Hill Company: Glencoe. Print.
Primary Source Documents: • "America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets. " American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://memory. loc. gov/cgi-bin/ampage? collId=amss&fileName=as1/as113410/amsspage. db&recNum=0&itemLink=D? amss:3:. /temp/~ammem_xpav::@@@mdb=mcc,gottscho,detr,nfor,wpa,aap,cwar,bbpix,cowellbib,calbkbib,consrvbib,bdsbib,dag,fsaall,gmd,pan,vv,presp,varstg,suffrg,nawbib,horyd,wtc,toddbib,mgw,ncr,ngp,musdibib,hlaw,papr,lhbumbib,rbpebib,lbcoll,alad,hh,aaodyssey,magbell,bbc,dcm,raelbib,runyon,dukesm,lomaxbib,mtj,gottlieb,aep,qlt,coolbib,fpnas,aasm,denn,relpet,a
