Chapter Eight, Section Two

Chapter Eight, Section Two Slavery and Abolition (p. 248 – 253)

Abolitionists Speak Out  Antislavery committees differed in opinion of how to go about ending slavery o EX: Some groups encouraged resettlement of blacks in Africa (based on belief they were inferior race that could not coexist with white people) o EX: Other groups felt US was their home and could not imagine moving to Africa . “We are natives of this country. We only ask that we be treated as well as foreigners.”  Abolition – the call to outlaw slavery; African Americans and white people became abolitionists (passionate sermons in church helped with abolition)  William Lloyd Garrison – most passionate, radical white abolitionist o Created The Liberator . Called for “immediate emancipation” (Emancipation = freeing of slaves) . Went on to say that slave owners should not be compensated – this practice was merely wrong o Founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society (1832) and then the National American Anti-Slavery Society (1833) o You either loved him or you hated him . Some agreed with abolition, but did not like how Garrison sometimes attacked churches and the government for not doing more to condemn slavery . Garrison and David Walker soon became allies

David Walker – abolitionist; free black; published the “Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World” – encouraged blacks to fight for freedom rather than to wait for the government, slave owners, or someone else to decide to end slavery *It had become apparent that while free, blacks were still treated as inferior because they could only advance to low level positions within the job market

Frederick Douglass  Born into slavery  Learned to read & write by his owner’s wife  Owner made his wife stop because he did not want Douglass to start getting ideas and realize he could actually better himself  This only made Douglass want to learn more; self taught  Worked a skills job, but never got to keep any of his wages because he was a slave  Decided to escape  Took on the identity of a free black sailor (got papers and everything)  Ended up in New York as a free man  Not only did he read The Liberator, but he became inspired and began to inspire others with his passionate speeches and word choice  Garrison hired him to do lectures and speeches  Eventually, Douglass branched away from Garrison, and started his own antislavery newspaper, The North Star (after the star that guided runaway slaves to freedom)

Life under Slavery  By 1830, there were approximately 2 million slaves living in America  The whole concept of slavery in general had changed over the years o 18th century – they were from the Caribbean and did not speak English; worked on small farms o 19th century – they were from America and spoke English; worked on huge plantations

Rural Slavery  Life on these plantations was tough  Worked from dawn until dusk and they were whipped by their overseers if they were not working fast enough (See Solomon Northup’s quote on p. 250)  The majority of slaves worked on plantations, but not all

Urban Slavery  Southern whites had been lured into farming because of the popular cotton crop  This led to a shortage of white laborers in mining and lumber industries o Slaves will be expected to fill the void (mills and on ships)  Slaves with specific skills were very useful  It was much better to be a “hired out” slave with specific skills, because getting to work in the cities and getting off the plantation meant you were not constantly under the watch of the overseers – while you did not get to keep your wages and you were still “owned” by someone, life was a lot better than it was working out in the fields on the plantation o Not to be confused: Slaves still wanted their freedom

Nat Turner’s Rebellion  Turner was a Virginian slave who felt the Lord had spoke to him and wanted him to be the person to lead his people out of bondage (slavery)  Took an eclipse in the sky as a divine signal  Turner and his 80 followers attacked four plantations and killed almost 60 people before being caught  Captured, tried, and hanged  White America retaliated and killed approximately 200 blacks – many of them that were totally innocent and in no way connected to Turner – it was merely a race thing  This whole fiasco strengthened the resolve of Southern whites to defend their stance on slavery; they were angry Slave Owners Defend Slavery  Two stances after Turner’s Rebellion: o Emancipate the slaves so we don’t have any more rebellions o Tighten the hold on slaves so we don’t have any more rebellions  In Virginia, the state legislature was seriously debating the issue of ending slavery after Turner’s Rebellion  The motion for abolition lost 73 to 58 in the state legislature  That was it for considering abolition in the antebellum south (Antebellum = pre- Civil War)

Backlash from Revolts  Slave owners also felt that education and privilege were what led to things like Turner’s Rebellion (better to keep them ignorant, so they won’t rebel)  State legislatures tightened their controls on African Americans for this very reason – these controls were known as “slave codes” o EX: Alabama forbid slaves from preaching the gospel to one another unless their slaveholders were present o In other states, FREE blacks lost the right to purchase alcohol, have group meetings, testify in court, etc. Others could no longer own property; had it taken away

Proslavery Defenses  Slave owners used the Bible to defend slavery, citing passages where it said to “counsel servants to obey masters”  Slave owners explained that slavery was good for blacks because it gave them a chance to be part of a Christian civilization  By 1830s, some ministers were agreeing that Christianity and slavery could coexist  Slave owners also tried to create this myth of the “happy slave” – that they were loved and cherished by the slave owner’s family and the “slave” was lucky to be in the South as opposed to a being a wage slave in the north or a free black who couldn’t advance to a very good job  Abolitionists continued to try and promote emancipation – they were not fooled o Tried to overwhelm Congress with petitions to end slavery o Southern representatives actually instituted a gag rule – a rule limiting or preventing debate on an issue . So petitions were not heard  Abolitionists efforts intensified – sometimes violent – slavery had divided the nation