 Show
28b. African-American AbolitionistsUnicover Corporation When Sojourner Truth (then Isabella Baumfree) was released from slavery upon the emancipation of slaves in New York, she was forced to leave 4 of her children behind. New York's emanicipation of slaves forced those children to work as indentured labour until they were in their 20s. The abolition of slavery was the cause of free African-Americans. Once the colonization effort was defeated, free African-Americans in the North became more active in the fight against slavery. They worked with white abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips to spread the word. They developed publications and contributed money. Many, such as Robert Purvis, dedicated their lives to freeing individual slaves from bondage. Although many pledged their lives to the cause, three African-American abolitionists surpassed others in impact. They were David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth.
While Garrison is considered the prime organizer of the abolitionist movement, David Walker published his Appeal two years before The Liberator. In 1829, Walker declared slavery a malignancy, calling for its immediate termination. He cited the four evils causing the greatest harm to African Americans as slavery, ignorance, Christianity, and colonization. Even white abolitionists decried the violent nature of his text. In the South, an award was raised for his capture, and nine months after publishing his Appeal he died mysteriously. Walker originated radical abolitionism. The David Walker Institute, named for the author of An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, studies health issues that affect African Americans today. The best known African American abolitionist was Frederick Douglass. Douglass escaped from slavery when he was 21 and moved to Massachusetts. As a former house servant, Douglass was able to read and write. In 1841, he began to speak to crowds about what it was like to be enslaved. His talents as an orator and writer led people to question whether or not he had actually been born a slave. At the beginning of his career as a speaker, some doubted Frederick Douglass's claim that he had escaped from slavery. His eloquence and the fact that he would not reveal his given name (for fear that he would be captured and returned to his master) caused people to believe that Douglass had been born a free man. All this attention put him at great risk. Fearful that his master would claim him and return him to bondage, Douglass went to England, where he continued to fight for the cause. A group of abolitionists eventually bought his freedom and he was allowed to return to the United States. He began publishing an anti-slavery newspaper known as the North Star. Douglass served as an example to all who doubted the ability of African Americans to function as free citizens. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York, but was freed when the state outlawed the practice in 1827. She was born Isabella Baumfree, but changed her name because she believed God wanted her to travel about the country and spread the word. Truth was one of the best known abolitionists, renowned for her stirring oratory. Also concerned with women's rights, she joined the campaign for female suffrage. When slavery was ended, she continued to fight for equality by protesting segregation laws. Skip to Content Part 04Chapter 02 - Anti-Slavery in Black & White Chapter 02
In the 1820s African American and white abolitionists began working together to pressure Americans to confront the brutal realities of slavery. Alarmed by the rapid expansion of slavery beyond the Mississippi River, they forged new and unexpected relationships that defied the color line building the abolitionist movement. They carried their concerns to the public arena, declaring freedom for all. They marketed their movement including creating abolitionist papers, publications, logos and promotional products. Within the movement the end of slavery was the call of the day, yet tension regarding Black equality was also present. As the abolitionist movement gained momentum its successes sparked violent anti-abolitionist backlash, and racism soaked into popular culture, political campaigns, and scientific thought. The result was that no American could avoid the issue of slavery and race. Chapter 02Section 01 - Anti-Slavery to Effect Change Section I Section IAnti-Slavery to Effect ChangeI can but die for expressing my sentiments . . . for I am a true born American; your blood flows in my veins, and your spirit fires my breast. Maria Stewart, 1832 Mourn not my friends his untimely fate, for he was a willing sacrifice on the Alter of Freedom. James F. Legate, Letter to David Hoyt's Parents, 1856 Publishing Power: Fighting for ChangeIn 1847 Frederick Douglass, with the support of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, established an uncompromising and independent political voice with the publication of "The North Star." The newspaper’s motto was, “Right is of no sex—truth is of no color.” The influential newspaper provided a national and international platform for organizing against slavery and for women’s rights. Eventually, interpretive differences marked a major break between Douglass and Garrison. Douglass began to view the Constitution as an antislavery document, while Garrison believed it was proslavery. By 1851, Douglass partnered with abolitionist Gerrit Smith to merge with the Liberty Party Paper of Syracuse and form "Frederick Douglass’ Paper." How did some abolitionists differ in their views toward African Americans?How did some abolitionists differ in their views toward African Americans? some believed African Americans should have the same treatment as white Americans, while others were opposed to full equality. Who was William Lloyd Garrison?
What were black abolitionists?Black abolitionists, who had been struggling for decades against slavery and racial discrimination in the U.S. and abroad, saw it as one of their most consequential achievements. 2020 is the sesquicentennial of that constitutional landmark.
What methods did black abolitionists use?Non-violent tactics (freedom suits, literary protest, antislavery speeches and petitions) allowed black abolitionists to claim the moral high ground in both word and deed, and in no small way defined African American protest between the Revolution and Civil War.
What role did black Americans play in the abolitionist movement?Once the colonization effort was defeated, free African-Americans in the North became more active in the fight against slavery. They worked with white abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips to spread the word. They developed publications and contributed money.
|
