Ch 17

Frederick Douglass

-A self-educated slave who escaped in 1838, Douglass became the best-known abolitionist speaker. He edited an antislavery weekly, the North Star. He was also an early advocate for women's rights. -In opposition to Garrison, Douglass worked for political solutions to slavery, supporting the Liberty, Free Soil, and Republican parties.

Racism in the North regarding the 250,000 freedmen

-Free blacks were rather unpopular in the North. Several states forbade them entrance, denied them the right to vote, and some barred blacks from public schools. The poor Irish hated the blacks, with whom they competed for menial jobs. -There were also 250,000 free blacks living in the South. They were subject to various economic and legal restrictions similar to the later black codes.

William Lloyd Garrison & The Liberator —1831

-Garrison's paper The Liberator gained national fame and notoriety due to his quotable and inflammatory language, attacking everyone from slave owners to moderate abolitionists. -Garrison believed that political action was powerless to abolish slavery since the Constitution protected slavery. In fact, he urged the North to secede from the Union. He sought to convert Southerners to his abolitionist views. -Garrison and other abolitionists were unpopular in the North; Garrison was almost lynched by a Northern mob in 1835.

Slavery as a Positive Good

-In 1837 Senator John Calhoun gave a speech in which he defended slavery, not as a necessary evil, but as a positive good. Said Calhoun, "Never before has the black race of Central Africa, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually." In other words, slavery uplifted blacks by introducing them to civilization and Christianity. -In addition, Southerners such as George Fitzhugh argued that slavery was the foundation of national prosperity, that slaves were actually treated better than were factory workers in the North, and that slavery was necessary for the continuance of the superior Southern culture that emphasized manners, graciousness, and honor in comparison to the money-grubbing society of the North.

Nat Turner's Rebellion—1831

-Nat Turner, leading a group of sixty slaves who believed he was a divine instrument sent to free his people, killed almost sixty whites in South Hampton, Virginia. This led to a sensational manhunt in which 100 blacks were killed. -As a result, slave states strengthened measures against slaves and became more united in their support of fugitive slave laws.

Proportion of Southerners who owned slaves

-Only 25% of Southerners owned any slaves. Families owning 100 or more slaves made up less than 1% of all slave owners. -However, the poor, non-slaveholding whites supported slavery because they thought they could eventually buy a slave or two and move upward in accordance with the American dream. Also they took comfort in knowing they outranked someone in Southern society, and they wanted to retain that racial superiority.

King Cotton

-Southern leaders assumed that, in a conflict with the North, cotton would be the decisive factor. -One fifth of Britain earned a living from the manufacture of cotton cloth. British textile mills got 75% of their cotton from the American South. -The assumption was that, in a war, the North would blockade Southern ports, forcing Britain into economic catastrophe. Britain would then use its navy to break the blockade, and the South would triumph.

The American Colonization Society/Liberia—1822

-The American Colonization Society was formed for the purpose of sending freed slaves back to Africa. -In 1822 the Republic of Liberia was established for this purpose. Some 15,000 freed blacks were transported there in the next four decades; however, most blacks had no desire to be transported to Africa after being partially Americanized.

Denmark Vesey

-Vesey was a former slave who had purchased his freedom. He and a group of followers planned a slave rebellion in Charleston in 1822. They intended to seize all the city's weapons. -Other slaves betrayed him; Vesey and at least thirty followers were publicly hanged.

Theodore Dwight Weld & American Slavery As It Is —1839

-Weld was inspired by religious spirit of the Second Great Awakening. Expelled from Lane Seminary for organizing an eighteen-day debate on slavery, Weld preached anti-slavery gospel across the North. -His pamphlet American Slavery as It Is was an inspiration for Uncle Tom's Cabin.

David Walker, An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World—1829

Born a free black in North Carolina, Walker left the South and settled in Boston. In 1829 he published an anti-slavery pamphlet, Walker's Appeal. Walker bitterly denounced slavery, those who profited by it, and those who willingly accepted it. Walker called for vengeance against whites, but he also expressed the hope that their cruel behavior toward blacks would change, making vengeance unnecessary. His message to the slaves was direct: if liberty is not given you, rise in bloody rebellion.

Absalom Jones and Richard Allen

In 1786 Jones and Allen, free blacks, objected to the new segregation policy of their Philadelphia church. They led a walk-out of black parishioners. They set up new churches and became the first black Americans to be ordained ministers. Allen later founded a new denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Gag Resolution in House of Representatives—1836

In 1836 Southerners pushed through this resolution, which required all antislavery appeals to be tabled without debate. John Quincy Adams waged a successful eight-year fight for its repeal.

Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy

Lovejoy was an abolitionist and editor. His printing press was destroyed four times, and Lovejoy was killed defending it in 1837. His death was an example of violence against abolitionists.

Sojourner Truth

One of the best-known abolitionists of her day, she was the first black female orator to speak out against slavery. She was also an advocate for women's rights.

Wendell Phillips & American Anti-Slavery Society—1833

Phillips was a great antislavery orator who would not eat sugar or wear cotton because they were produced by slaves. He was a prominent member of the AA-SS.