Proslavery Backlash

From Slavery to Freedom th 9 ed. Chapter 9 Abolitionism in Black and White

Abolitionism in Black and White  Abolitionism in Black and White  Three events that heralded age of militant abolitionism:  1829 publication of David Walker’s Appeal

 1831 publication of the inaugural issue of William

Lloyd Garrison’s newspaper, The Liberator  1831 insurrection of Nat Turner

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Black Abolitionists  Black Antislavery Societies  In 1820s, 50 black-led antislavery societies operated in various cities  In 1830, blacks held first national convention issuing denunciations of colonization and slavery  After publication of The Liberator, black abolitionists aligned with Garrison  Blacks participated in 1833 establishment of the American Anti-Slavery society  Also worked at local and regional antislavery

organizations 3

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Black Abolitionists  Women Abolitionists  Women in many cities formed their own antislavery organizations  Addressed abolition and gender issues

 Many male abolitionists opposed female

officeholders in prominent male-run societies  Black Agents  Blacks worked as agents and speakers for various societies  Frederick Douglass 4

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Sojourner Truth

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Black Abolitionists  Newspapers  African American newspapers aired debates and ideas of black community  Freedom’s Journal – first black newspaper  Most popular black abolitionist paper The North Star, founded by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany in 1847

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Mary Ann Shadd Cary 7

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Antislavery Agendas  Antislavery Agendas  Abolitionism closely connected to religious revivalism  Argued that slavery contrary to Jesus’ teaching of

universal brotherhood

 The Abolitionist Argument  Abolitionists argued that slavery:  Was against fundamental principles of American life

 Was economically unsound  Threatened culture of and civilization of the South  Threatened peace and safety of country 8

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Antislavery Agendas  Colonization movement was strongest among

slaveholders in Upper South  White abolitionists and blacks realized colonization

buttressed slavery

 The Crusade  Throughout 1830s, abolitionist cause grew, moving beyond the borders of the Northeast  Theodore Dwight Weld

 Oberlin College

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Antislavery Agendas  The American Anti-Slavery Society  Cofounded by Dwight Weld, Arthur Tappan, and William Lloyd Garrison in 1833  Differences between Garrison and Tappan arose  Garrison did not think society pressed hard enough for

abolition; critical of unwillingness to work for women’s equality  New York faction under Tappan broke away and formed rival American Foreign Anti-Slavery Society focusing only on slavery issues  1840 splinter group, the Liberty Party, formed in attempt to bring abolition into electoral politics 10

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William Lloyd Garrison 11

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Antislavery Agendas  Black vs. White Abolitionists  Black abolitionists angered by whites’ lack of support for true racial equality  White abolitionists uncomfortable with black convention movement  Black-White Cooperation  White abolitionists important benefactors of nineteenth-century African American artists  Friendships developed between black and white abolitionists 12

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Proslavery Backlash  The Proslavery Argument  Southerners promoted idea that slavery was a “positive good”  Four main arguments of proslavery theorists  Blacks biologically and mentally inferior, a different

species of humanity  Necessity of slave labor for rise of civilization and economic development of South  Blacks destined by history to subordinate position in society  Slavery divinely ordained 13

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Proslavery Backlash  Defending the Institution  Antislavery rhetoric prohibited in the South  Willing to use force to keep abolitionists out of

communities  Proslavery leaders went to North to pursue

runaway slaves, spread proslavery doctrine, and spy on abolitionists

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Proslavery Backlash  Persecution and Violence  Conflict between two sides led to harassment and violence  Conflict over abolitionist views occurred in the North as well  New York journalists warned of the threat of the

abolitionist “amalgamation”  Abolitionists frequently target of violence  1836 southern congressional leaders adopted a rule to table all petitions against slavery (“gag rule”) 15

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Proslavery Backlash  Changing Attitudes  Violence and gag rule backfired  Late1840s northern whites began to see slavery as

threat to liberty; 1850s political opponents of slavery began to win elections

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The Black Response  Black Counterarguments  Frederick Douglass – “oneness of man”  James McCune Smith  Black Narratives  Ex-slave writers were influential in refuting the notion that slaves were happy and content  Black Literature  Quality and quantity of black literature disproved charges of innate inferiority of blacks 17

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The Underground Railroad  Origins  Started as network of antislavery activists  General Thomas Boude refused to give mother of his

slave Stephen Smith back to her mistress  Town of Columbia, Pennsylvania decided to champion cause of fugitive slaves  Number of slaves reaching freedom via the

Underground Railroad unknown  Intensified resentment of slaveholders toward the North 18

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Robert Duncanson, View of Cincinnati, Ohio 19

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The Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century 20

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The Underground Railroad  Railroad Operations  Most operations took place at night  Slaves prepared by taking supplies from masters and often disguising themselves  Early days, mostly on foot; as it grew, used covered wagons, closed carriages  “Stations” were planned where fugitives could eat, rest, and hide; news went out of their pending arrival via the “grapevine telegraph”  All Underground Railroad lines led to free states 21

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The Underground Railroad  Resources  Abolitionists raised funds required for the substantial material resources necessary  Had many active workers  John Fairfield

 Black Conductors  Underground Railroad relied on many black conductors

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The Underground Railroad  Harriet Tubman  Using money from her work as a domestic servant, she left the North fourteen times to bring family and other slaves to freedom  After fugitive slave laws passed, she preferred bringing slaves to Canada  Jermain Loguen  Minister and stationmaster of the Underground Railroad in Syracuse, New York  Openly denounced the Fugitive Slave Law 23

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Harriet Tubman

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The Path to Civil War  The Path to Civil War  Expansion of slavery central to turmoil that led up to the Civil War  Fugitive slaves also highly controversial

 The Compromise of 1850  Included stringent fugitive slave law, but admitted California into the Union as a free state  Under new fugitive slave act, owners of escaped slaves intensified manhunts; many slaves returned, others increasingly feared capture 25

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The Path to Civil War  The Christiana Riot  Effort to thwart capture of four runaway slaves ended in death of plantation owner who was looking for the slaves  “Jerry Rescue” – mob of abolitionists rescued a fugitive slave who was apprehended in Syracuse  The Sectional Truce Unravels  Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

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The Path to Civil War  Passage of Kansas-Nebraska Act  Repeals Missouri Compromise; allows territories to decide if they want to be a free or slave state  North and South struggle for control of Kansas  Galvanized leaders into political action; antislavery Republican Party is formed

 The Dred Scott Decision  Slave who accompanied master to free state sued, claiming his residence on free soil had liberated him 27

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The Path to Civil War  Supreme Court held Scott was not a citizen and

therefore could not bring suit in the courts  Also held that Congress could not ban slavery in

federal territories and that free blacks could never be citizens

 The Appeal of Force  Black community began to see force as both necessary and inevitable

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The Dred Scott Case

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The Path to Civil War  John Brown’s Raid  Plan to attack slaveholders and liberate slaves  Seized federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry; quickly overwhelmed by federal and state troops  Raid terrified the South; moved toward military preparedness  John Brown convicted and hung to death

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