The Abolitionists Chapter 13 Lesson 1
Page 469: The Rise of Abolition
The spirit of reform in the early 1800s included the abolitionists, members of the growing band
of reformers who worked to abolish, or end, slavery. Even before the Revolution, some
Americans—specifically Quakers—had tried to end slavery. By the early 1800s, Northern states
had ended slavery, but the practice continued and even expanded in the South.
Page 470: Early Anti-Slavery Efforts
Early abolitionists generally supported "gradualism," the belief that slavery should be ended
slowly to allow the Southern economy to adjust. Some reformers created the American
Colonization Society, which raised money to buy enslaved people and send them abroad to start
new lives. They acquired land in West Africa and established a colony called Liberia (Latin for
"place of freedom"). However, most African Americans did not want to go to Africa, as they
considered the United States their home.
Page 471: William Lloyd Garrison and The Liberator
The movement took a more radical turn with William Lloyd Garrison. In 1831, he started the
anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. Garrison called for the "immediate and complete
emancipation" of enslaved people. He was known for his uncompromising stance, famously
stating, "I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD." He attracted enough followers
to start the New England Anti-Slavery Society.
Page 472: The Grimké Sisters
Among the first women to speak out publicly against slavery were Sarah and Angelina Grimké.
Born into a wealthy slaveholding family in South Carolina, the sisters moved to Philadelphia and
became active abolitionists. Instead of money or inheritance, they asked for several of the
family's enslaved workers, whom they immediately freed. They wrote and lectured across the
North about the injustices they had witnessed firsthand.
Page 473: Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was the most widely known African American abolitionist. After escaping
from slavery in Maryland, he joined the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and traveled widely
to speak about the cruelty of the slave system. He edited an anti-slavery newspaper called the
North Star. Douglass insisted that African Americans receive not just their freedom, but full
social and economic equality with whites.
Page 474: Sojourner Truth
Born as "Isabella Baumfree" in New York, Sojourner Truth escaped slavery and changed her
name, claiming that the Lord had renamed her to "travel up and down the land" telling the truth.
She was a powerful speaker who connected the movements for abolition and women’s rights,
drawing large crowds with her wit and personal stories of survival.
Page 475: The Underground Railroad
Abolitionists established the Underground Railroad, a network of escape routes from the South
to the North. "Conductors" were whites and African Americans who helped the
"passengers"—runaway enslaved people—reach safety in the North or Canada. Harriet Tubman
became the most famous conductor, returning to the South dozens of times to lead hundreds of
people to freedom, despite the great danger to her own life.