The Emancipation of Slaves
Slavery was a struggle for over ten million African Americans during the seventeenth century. Hundreds of groups and individual abolitionists attempted to overthrow slavery, enduring what they had to and willing to accept any consequences in order to get their points across. Through the numerous groups, countless movements were started, laws were issued, and all types of propaganda and literature were sprawled about the country. Slavery may have ended in 1865 but the legacy was carried on until the time of the Civil Rights Movement in the nineteen hundreds and traces are still evident in America today. Through many years of struggling and turmoil the abolitionists, especially William Lloyd Garrison, managed to emancipate slaves and to end slavery. The most influential and well-known abolitionist is the great William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1805 ("William Lloyd Garrison" 329). Garrison at age twenty-two heard another famous abolitionist, Benjamin Lundy; give a speech on the abolition of slaves. Garrison was deeply inspired by Lundy and began preaching against slavery and joined Lundy in his quest. Garrison became the junior editor of The Genius of Universal Emancipation which was own
they wanted was smart slaves (Garraty 278). In The Anti-Slavery Crusade President Andrew Jackson is described as forcing Congress into passing a law stating that anyone who circulates anti-slavery material in the South will be severely punished (Macy 76). President Jackson, who had his own views on slavery which included how it made him richer and strengthened the economy, wanted slavery to remain in power (Macy 78). Congress, believing that it had more power than the president, issued a law stating that all postal officials had to deliver mail without any discrimination (Macy 80). During Garrison's vocation as an abolitionist he took credit for over 328 different abolitionist groups. The most important and respected group was the American Anti-Slavery Society which was founded in 1833 (Tackach 19). The three other important abolitionist leaders responsible for establishing the American Anti-Slavery Society were Theodore Dwight Weld, Arthur Tappan, and Lewis Tappan (Potter 40). Militant in the fight against slavery, the organizers were regarded in the South as fanatics; members of the society were denounced, and meetings were broken up. In 1839 some less-militant members broke away from the society and formed the Liberty Party. The Liberty Party became an actual political party and was represented in the presidential race of 1837. Unfortunately their candidate, James Birney, was not elected and the race was lost to Martin Van Buren (Garraty 277). The society operated until 1870, when the adoption of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution secured the right to vote for blacks and traditional slavery had already been abolished (Tackach 77). punished (24). Collison makes his point and wants to convey how dangerous it was to hide s laves. Other sources Despite all of the excellent advances towards abolition of slavery, Garrison received many compliments in life along with several threats. On October 21, 1835, Garrison arrived for a meeting in Boston at the Female Anti-Slavery Association when he was mobbed and almost killed (Garraty 276). A nearby law enforcing official fearing that Garrison would be tarred and feathered arrested Garrison and put him in jail in order to protect him (Garraty 276). On a lighter note Garrison received compliments from thousands. Garrison had been invited to a convention in London for an anti-slavery campaign and the man who was in charge of picking Garrison, Lord Buxton, went up to him and exclaimed, "Why my dear sir, I thought you were a black man...the black advocate of emancipation from the United States" (Archer 64). Garrison gladly welcomed the comment and mentioned how he wished that he could only be black in order to take some of the prejudice off of that race and on to himself. Even the President of The United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, praised Garrison saying that "I have been only an instrument. The logic and moral power of Garrison, and the anti-slavery people of the country, and the army, have done all" (Archer 166).
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Approximate Word count = 3766
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)
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