SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• MOST AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE ANTEBELLUM (PRE-WAR) SOUTH WERE SLAVES.

• IF THEY WERE FORTUNATE THEY HAD MASTERS WHO VALUED THEM AS EXPENSIVE PROPERTY IF NOT HUMAN BEINGS

Slaves & Free Blacks

• STILL THEY WERE FORCED TO WORK LONG HOURS

•WERE SUBJECT TO BEING WHIPPED

• SLAVE WOMEN WERE OFTEN SEXUALLY EXPLOITED BY MASTERS.

• SLAVES USUALLY LIVED IN SHACKS PROVIDING BARE NECESSITIES

• FAMILIES WERE OFTEN SEPARATED

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• ALTHOUGH SLAVE TRADE ENDED IN 1808, MILLIONS WERE STILL TRADED & SHIPPED WITHIN THE U.S.

• THE SALE OF SLAVES FROM THE UPPER SOUTH TO THE DEEP SOUTH BECAME KNOWN AS THE SECOND MIDDLE PASSAGE

Slaves & Free Blacks

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• MANY SLAVEHOLDERS JUSTIFIED SLAVERY BY APPEALING TO PATERNALISM (THE IDEA THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY CARING FOR & NURTURING THEIR SLAVES.

Slaves & Free Blacks

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• MANY ALSO BELIEVED THAT SLAVES IN THE U.S. WERE BETTER OFF BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN RESCUED FROM THE “SAVAGE” & “UNCIVILIZED” SOCIETIES IN AFRICA.

Slaves & Free Blacks

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• THERE WERE SOME FREE BLACKS LIVING IN SLAVE STATES.

• THEY WERE FREE BECAUSE THEY HAD PURCHASED THEIR FREEDOM, THEY WERE FREED BY MASTERS OR BORN TO FREE PARENTS.

Slaves & Free Blacks

• MOST WORKED AS A SIMPLE LABORERS, BUT SOME EVEN OWNED BUSINESSES AND A FEW EVEN OWNED AFRICAN SLAVES THEMSELVES.

• THEY OFTEN WORE BADGES TO INDICATE THEY WERE FREE

• THEY STILL DID NOT ENJOY THE SAME RIGHTS AS WHITE CITIZENS.

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• ABOLITIONIST WANTED TO ABOLISH SLAVERY.

• IMPORTANT WHITE LEADERS WERE WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON & THE GRIMKE SISTERS.

The Abolitionist Movement

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• GARRISON FOUNDED AN ANTI-SLAVERY NEWSPAPER CALLED THE LIBERATOR & HELPED ESTABLISH THE AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY.

• SARAH & ANGELINA GRIMKE, MEMBERS OF A SLAVEHOLDING FAMILY, WERE WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR ANTI-SLAVERY SPEECHES

The Abolitionist Movement

Grimke Sisters

SLAVES AND ABOLITIONISTS

• IMPORTANT AFRICAN AMERICAN ABOLITIONISTS INCLUDED MEN LIKE FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

•HE ESCAPED SLAVERY, EDUCATED HIMSELF & BECAME A PROMINENT SPEAKER FOR ABOLITION.

•HE HELPED JOHN BROWN PLAN HIS RAID AT HARPERS FERRY.

The Abolitionist Movement

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MISSOURI COMPROMISE

• SENATOR JESSE B THOMAS PROPOSED A BILL CALLING FOR MISSOURI TO BE A SLAVE STATE & MAINE A FREE STATE.

• IT ALSO CALLED FOR 36O30’N TO BE THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN FREE AND SLAVE STATES.

• ALL NEW STATES NORTH OF THE LINE WOULD BE FREE & ALL NEW STATES SOUTH OF THE LINE WOULD BE SLAVE STATES.

• IT WAS PASSED & SIGNED BY PRESIDENT MONROE.

MISSOURI COMPROMISE

THE WILMOT PROVISO

• IN 1846 THE UNITED STATES WENT TO WAR WITH MEXICO.

• A DEBATE INITIATED OVER THE NEW TERRITORIES PURCHASED FROM MEXICO

THE WILMOT PROVISO

• DAVID WILMOT SUGGESTED A PROVISO (CONDITION) THAT PROPOSED BANNING SLAVERY IN ALL LAND PURCHASED FROM MEXICO

• THE PROVISO WAS VOTED DOWN

• IT EXPOSED THE SERIOUS DIVISION OVER SLAVERY

COMPROMISE OF 1850

• THIS COMPROMISE ADMITTED CALIFORNIA AS A FREE STATE & DECLARED THE UNORGANIZED TERRITORIES WOULD DECIDE THE ISSUE BY POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY (WILL OF THE MAJORITY)

COMPROMISE OF 1850

• ALSO ATTACHED TO THE COMPROMISE WAS THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW

• THE LAW REQUIRED THAT NORTHERN STATES RETURN ESCAPES SLAVES TO OWNERS IN THE SOUTH.

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT

• THIS ACT ALLOWED PREVIOUSLY FREE & UNORGANIZED TERRITORIES TO PERMIT SLAVERY BY POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT

• SUPPORTERS OF SLAVERY & ABOLITIONIST RUSHED INTO KANSAS TO SET UP RIVAL GOVERNMENTS.

• THE TERRITORY BECAME KNOWN AS “BLEEDING KANSAS” BECAUSE OF THE FIGHTING.

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT

• FIGHTING OVER THE ISSUE TOOK PLACE IN THE SENATE

• CHARLES SUMNER SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS DENOUNCED THE ACT.

• PRESTON BROOKS APPROACHED SUMER ON THE SENATE FLOOR AND BEAT HIM WITH A CAIN NEARLY KILLING HIM

• HE WAS ABSENT FROM CONGRESS FOR 3 YEARS AS HE RECOVERED.

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT