PRE-CIVIL WAR READING I
-Sectionalism:
-SLAVERY:
-ABOLITIONISM:
-UNDERGROUND RAILROAD:
-BALANCE OF POWER:
ffps
m
ftffi*tg
&rllrrlu$T
hAltnn
uillll,,fi
,-.,''1..'.
ifh
ffie$ru$
lsno)
nil[jruil,
Li
trsro
Housdid the opponentsof slauery
fight to bring it to an end?
; l'
,l
,i
j
Late in her life. Har.-rt't Tubrnan, left, posed with a few of the hundreds
of slaves she had le,dtr.ifreedom on the Underground Railroad.
$,{r*i..irt[i
irt K('\
I t-'l'Itls
o Drinking Gourd . Underground Railroad
As you read the
chapter, make a
list of the people j
mentioned.Then, i
write a description i
of eachperson's i
role in the aboli- i
tion movement. $
n
ll
ll
ll
lt,
ilr
ll
I
I
I
. . rl
...- r .- .J .- f
$
f
nl
't'4$
rl
l*
,?::r y * ,a- ^s l r f,b+
I-,oqr*{.ir;
u' at lit'r \\'orcls
u abolition movement: the
campaigrrto abolishslavery
o abolitionist: someonewho
fought to end slavery
. militant: aggressive;ready
to take risks in support of a
cause
and eight other slaves went to the home
of Turner's owner. They killed everyone
there. More slaves joined them. They
moved on to other plantations. In all,
they killed som e 60 whites. W hi te
Virginians hunted the rebels down. They
killed many outright. After a trial, the
authorities hanged Turner and 16 others.
Angr y and scar ed. Souther n whi tes
blam ed abolitionists for the r ev ol t. In
particular. thel- blanred Gan-ison.In fact,
Garrison had nothing to do nith the slave
How did theabolitianiststuorkto end,slnuent? revolt. Hos-ever.the attacks against him
helpedhinr sin nrorefollon'ers.
T h e a b o l i ti on mo ve men t fo und its
A 11r ,\\-( ) r ' gir niztr l r r ;r i
Gar r i s on
voice in 1831. On the first day of that
y e a r , 2 6 - yea r-o l d Wi l l i am
Lloyd
started a ne\\' antislavery group. It was
called the Am er ican Anti- SIav er y
Garrison, a white man, started a fiery
Societl- . The society held its fi r s t
a n t i s l a v e ry ne w spa p e r i n Boston.
paper
his
the
con\- ention in Philadelphia in 1833.
called
weekly
Garrison
Sixtl' - thr ee delegates fr om 11 s tates
Liberator. He said he would speak out
until
all
Several African Americans
attended.
a g a i n s t t he evi l s of sl a ve ry
*I
s'ill
\\'ere present. One was James Forten.
slaves were free. Garrison wrote:
WILL
I
inch-AND
Another
was James C. McCrummell, a
not retreat a single
Philadelphia dentist. Stilt another was
BE HEARD."
Jam es G. Bar badoes, who ow ned a
no\\'
Boston clothing store.
A n e w g o a l : A b o l i ti on
The American Anti-Slavery Society
Garrison was not content to x'ork for a
gradual end to slavery. He rvanted abo- demanded an immediate end to slavery.
The Society quickly grew. By 1838, &s
lition right away.
many as 250,000 members had signed
M o s t o f G arri son 's fi rst reader s
up. M ost wer e white, but a nu m ber
were African Americans. James Forten,
were African Americans.
w h o o w n ed a sai l -ma ki ng fa ctor y in
Philadelphia, sent $5+ for 27 subscripAt fi r s t,
W om en abolitionists
t i o n s . O t her A fri ca n A meri ca ns also
subscribed. At first, ferv whites even women played a small role in the aboliknew of the paper. Then a slave rebel- tion movement. They held meetings and
talked with other women. Some formed
l i o n i n V i rg i ni a mad e G arrison a
antislavery societiesfor women.
national figure.
Angelina Gr im k6 ( GRIHM - k ee)
Nat Turner
broadened the role of women abolitionNat Turneros reheilion
ists. Both she and her sister, Sarah,
was an enslaved African American who
lived on a plantation. He believed that he were from South Carolina. They moved
north to fight against slavery. Both also
had seen God in a vision. In his vision,
becam e active fem inists. Ang el i na
God told him to kill white people who
decided to speak at abolition meetings
enslaved African Americans.
Turner's bloody revolt in August 1831 where both men and women were present. The idea of a woman speaking in
made national headlines. First, Turner
The struggle to end slavery was one of
the most important movements in the
United States in the early 1800s. The
abolition movement, or the campaign
to end slavery, began in the 1830s.Until
then, most abolitionists, or people who
fought to end slavery, had worked slowIy and quietly. Now, the debate turned
arrgry and often violent.
FiUht
AUairist
1$onte
$lauery,
Ameriratts
What were two important outcomes of Nat Turner's revolt?
public shocked many people. In 1837,
S a r a h w r ote a bo o kl et de fending
Angelina's speeches.
L u c r e t i a Mo tt a n d E l i za b e th Cady
Stanton (see page 195) were abolitionists before they were feminists. The two
met at a world antislavery convention
in London in 1840. The convention did
not allow women to participate fully.
Women had to sit in the audience and
watch. That experience made Mott and
Stanton angry. It started them thinking
about women's rights.
Different approaches
Many abolit i o n i s t s admi red Wi l l i am
Lloyd
Garrison. Others thought he was too
extreme. For one thing, he supported
the movement for women's rights. Few
m a l e a b o l iti on i sts w ere w i l l i ng to go
that far. In addition. Garrison disagreed
w i t h t h e U .S . C o n sti tuti on be cause it
allowed slavery. He even burned a copy
of the Constitution in public. He called
it "a bloodstained document."
By 1840, the abolition movement had
split. Garrison and his group refused to
vote in U.S. elections or to run for office.
Other abolitionists for m ed pol i ti c al
groups and nominated candidates for
office (see Chapter 25). Finally, more
militant, or aggressive, abolitionists
\\'ere willing to use violence. They urged
slaves to stage more revolts.
Many people
^{nger at abolitionists
hated the abolitionists. Southern whites
feared that the abolitionists would start
slave r evolts. Even m any Sout her n
whites rvho did not own slaves resented
the abolitionists' attacks on slavery.
In the North, too, the abolitionists
made people angry. Many Northerners
had business ties to the South. They
WHY?
Frederick Douglass was speaking at an 1860 anti-slaver_\'meeting in Boston when
the police broke up the meeting. \\h1' do 1'outhink the police and opponentsof abolition tried to stop Douglass from speaking?
1838
Frederick
Douglass
escapesslavery.
1831
WilliamLloyd
Garrisonstarts
TheLiberator.
1847
Douglassstarts
publishing
The NorthStar.
1833
AntiAmerican
SlaverySociety
founded.
NatTurner
stagesslave
rebellion.
1837
SarahGrimk6
defends
abolition.
RFIADI\(' A 'I'IIIELINE Two newspapers are mentioned in the timeline.
How many years passed between the founding of the two newspapers?
feared that the abolition movement
might divide the country. That, they
knew, would hurt their businesses.
M a n y w ork i ng-c l as s N orth e r n e r s
opposedthe abolitionists,too. They saw
African Americans as competitors for
jobs. Freeing the slaves,they felt, would
hurt their own chancesfor jobs.
Angry mobs often attacked people
who spokeout against slavery.In 1834,
a mob in New York City burned the
homes of 20 African American abolitionists. Three years later, a mob in Alton,
Illinois, killed a white newspapereditor
named Elijah Lovejoy.
1. What organization did
Garrison found?
2. How did women contribute
to antislavery movement?
Amnrirans
Take
t0Win
2A[r'isan
Hisks
FrBBilotn,
Hou, did enslat'edAfrican Americans
ew.F frort theSouth?
Many enslaved African Americans
risked their lives trying to escapefrom
slavery. African American and white
abolitionists helped thousands of slaves
to reach freedom. Helping slaves to
escapewas not only personally risky. It
was illegal. Strict laws made helping
runaways a crime.
For
Following the l.{orth Star
e n s la v e d A f r ic a n A m e r ic a ns w h o
escaped,leaving their master was only
the first step. The journey to freedom
was long and dangerous.
First, they had to escapeimmediate
capture. Slave owners often used packs
@
AAMDA
THEUNDERGROUND
RA|LROAD,
| 840-t 960
NEBRASKA
TERRITORY
ATIANTIC
OCEAN
{J.
DEI
MD
N.C.
New
4r
""/i
[]
Slovestotes
n
Freestotes
ondterritories
'^
O
on the
" S toti on"
U nderground
R oi l rood
3OO
60O Miles
#
ll.t-irdr trir "i 1!;r;r. Name three cities in Ohio that were "stations" for the
Underground Railroad. Why did many African Americans who escaped slavery
chooseto live in Canada, rather than in the United States?
of dogs to hunt dou'n runaways. If the
ru n a w a y s r e fu se d to ha l t, th e i r pur s u e r s m i g h t sho o t the m. S ome slaves
choseto die rather than be caught. They
knew how cruel masters could be. Slave
owners might cripple runaways so that
they could not escapeagain.
Planters tried to keep slaves ignorant
of geography. However, enslaved African
Americans knew the magic word North.
To them, North meant freedom. Runaways
searched the night sky for the stars in the
Drinking Gourd, or Big Dipper. One edge
of the Big Dipper points toward the North
Star. That star became their guide to
the North.
. A dangerous operation
Abolitionists
helped mnaways in many ways. They hid
the escaped slaves in barns or in secret
rooms inside their homes. They tucked
them under loads of hay and drove them
past roadblocks in wagons.
Quakers and other opponents of slavery offered such help to runaways as
e a r l y a s t h e 1 7 0 0 s. A s ti me pa ssed,
more and more people joined in. By the
1830s, abolitionists had a secret network of people helping runaways as
they fled northward.
The network worked so well that many
slave owners found it impossible to follow
a runaway. One Kentucky slave owner
trailed a runaway into Ohio. Suddenly,
the trail vanished. The slave owner said
that the runaway "must have gone off an
underground road."
T'li* l-'nderground Railroad
The
secret network of helpers came to be
called the Underground
Railroad. It
ground,
was not under the
and it was
not a railroad. But it might just as well
have been.
The "tracks" of this railroad were
country roads, backwoods trails, and
rivers. Its "stations" were homes where
runaways could find food and shelter.
Its "conductors" were abolitionists, both
African American and white, who $rided slaves to freedom.
Harriet Tubman
The most famous
conductor of all was an escapedAfrican
sl a ve na med Har r iet
Am e r i c a n
Tubman. She was born on a Maryland
plantation in 1820. When she was 29
years old, she escaped to Philadelphia.
However, she was not satisfied with
freedom for herself.
Tubman returned to the South again
and again. She led others to freedom.
F i r s t , s h e re scu e d on e of he r sister s
and her two children. A month later,
she led one of her brothers and two
men out of Maryland. In all, she made
1 9 t r i p s to th e S ou th . S he l ed m or e
than 300 people north. Tubman proudly stated that she had never let "a train
r u n o f f t he tra ck." T h a t meant she
had never lost any of the people she
was rescuing.
Slave owners placed a $40,000 price
on Tubman's head. But, no one ever collected. During the Civil War, Tubman
served as a scout and spy for the Union
army. She lived to the age of 92.
Battle
Slavery,
Amerirntis
SFree
Afiran
How did free African Americans fight
against slnuery?
African Americans who had escaped
from slavery knew the evils of slavery
frrsthand. At abolitionist meetings, they
told their stories. Their speeches made
people imagine the lash of the whip and
the grief of a mother who saw her child
sold away.
The m os t
Fr eder ick Douglass
well-known African American in the
Henry Brown, an enslavedAfrican American, escapedslavery in 1848by hiding in a
box sent to the North. What did Brown's escapefrom slavery show about African
Americans'desirefor freedom?
$rj
ff
il.tr
stole this head, these limbs [arms and
legsl, this body from my master, and ran
offwith them."
Douglasspublished his own newspaper to promote the cause of abolition.
I t wa s c a lle d No r t h S t a r . A f r i ca n
Americans put out more than a dozen
papers in the frght against slavery.
Henrl' Highland Garnet Another
African American abolitionist was
Henry Highland Garnet. He too fled
slavery.He got an educationand became
pastor of a church in Tboy,New York.
Garnet believed that slaves should
grab their freedomby force.At a convention of African American abolitionists in
1843, he urged, "Rather die freemen.
than liue to be sloues."However,the convention did not accept Garnet's call for
slaverevolts.He lost by onevote.
A f r ic a n
A m e r ic a n
churches
African American churches played a
key role in the fight against slavery.
Many times, they openedtheir doors to
Frederick Douglass escapedslaven' to becomea
abolitionists who were not allowed to
leading fighter against slavery. Douglass became
meet in other places.
world famous for speaking out against slavery
Free African Americans started their
own churchesbecausethey did not feel
ab o li tio n mov ement w as Fred e r ic k we lc o m e a t wh it e c h u r c h e s . Ma n y
Douglass.Douglasswas born a slave. churchesmade African Americans sit
Although it was against the law, he apart from white worshipers. In 1794,
struggled to learn to read and write. As Ric h a r d A lle n f o u n d e d t h e M o t h e r
a child, he tricked white playmatesinto Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
teaching him the alphabet. Later, his ( A M E ) Ch u r c h . I t wa s b e g u n i n
owner'swife helpedhim learn to read.
Philadelphia. Later, African Americans
At 2I, Douglassdisguisedhimself as started Baptist and other churches,too.
a sa il o r a nd ran aw ay . H e w e n t t o
African American churchesoften acted
Massachusetts.When he discovered as stations on the Underground Railroad.
Garrison's newspaper,the Liberator, Allen's Mother Bethel Church was one
Douglass said, "My soul was set all on station. Allen hid runaways there until
fire." He threw himself into the fight his death in 1831.The church continued
against slavery.
to help runaways until the Civil War.
Douglass often spoke at antislavery
African American churches also gave
meetings. He would begin: "I stand African Americans faith in a better
before the immense fiargel assembly future. They taught people to stand up
this evening as a thief and a robber. I for what was right.
Mary
A nn
S h a cl d
African
American abolitionists carried their
s t r u g g l e b e yo n d th e bo rde rs of the
United States. Some went to Canada.
There, men of African heritage could
vote and own property. Women could
live free. Children could go to school.
Mary Ann Shadd was one of 15,000
Af r i c a n A meri ca n s w ho moved to
Canada during the 1850s. She opened a
school there for fugitive slaves. She also
started a newspaper. Shadd tried to persuade abolitionists to send more African
Americans to Canada. However, man]'
believed African Americans should star'
in the United States to fight slaverl'.
Su c c e sses a n d fa i l u res
Fr ee
A f r i c a n Ame ri ca n s ha d to str uggle
to survive. In the South, they lived in
the shadow of slavery. In the North,
t h e y w e r e d i sl i ked by ma n y r vhites.
Most African Americans barel,"*survived. But a few managed to build successful businesses.
I n t h e S ou th , ma n y free Afr ican
A m e r i c a ns be ca me cra ftp e rs ons. In
1850, Charleston's African American
workers included L22 carpenters, 87 tailors, and 30 shoemakers. A number of
free African Americans became wealthy.
Ther e wer e business oppor t uni ti es
in the North, too. James Forten became
wealthy m aking sails. Thomas L.
Jennings made a fortune by inventing
a way of cleaning clothes. John Jones
becam e r ich as a tailor in Ch i c ago.
All these men contributed to the abolition movement.
A neu- image African American successeshelped to open other Americans'
e) ' es.Thel- gave Afr ican Am er i c ans a
ne\\' and m or e po- r itir - eim age. In the
str uggle to end slaver y, Afr i c an
Am er icans r vould eventually s uc c eed.
However, it would be a long, tough frght.
1. How did African Americans fight
against slavery?
z. \4il;;"[diJ
ifrtcan American
churches play in the abolition
movement?
K EY IDEAS
o From the 1830s, people in the abolition movement fought to end
slavery. Free African Americans as well as whites were involved in
the movement.
n Abolitionists set up the Underground Railroad to help runaway
slaves escape.
o Free African Americans like Frederick Douglass played key roles in
the abolition movement. African American churchds were also
important.
iilfil!\/ill
liit4
fiil]l\11
I. Reviewing Vocabulary
Match eachword on thqleft with the correctdefinition on the right.
1. abolitionist
2. abolition movement
3. Underground Railroad
4. militant
5. conductor
8.
b.
c.
d.
€.
agglessivelyactive in support of a cause
someonewho joined in the fight to end slavery
a network of peoplehelping runaway slaves
a personwho helped lead slavesto freedom
the campaign to put an end to slavery
fI. Understanding the Chapter
1. How did the abolition movement differ from earlier antislavery movements?
2. Why did people have different views of William Lloyd Garison?
3. Why did many Americans opposethe abolitionists?
4. What risks did runaways and their helpers in the Underground Railroad face?
5. Why might a runaway slave go to Canada?Why might a runaway stay in the
United States?
I I I . Bu i l c l i n g S ki l l s; ,\na l vzing a M ap
Study the map on page 206, and answer the following questions.
1. What slavestatesare shownon the map?
2. How many "stations are shon'nin Illinois?
3. List three "stations-in the South.
4. If you were a slave fleeing Georg:a.n'hat route rvouldyou choose?Why?
fV. Writing About Histon1. What Would You Have Done? Imagine that you live in a community near the
Underground Railroad. A neighbor is helping a group of runaway slaves and asks
you to let someof them spend the night in vour barn. What wiII you say?Why?
2. Write a newspaperstory that describesan abolitionist meeting at which Angelina
Grimk6 spoke.Tell what Grimk6 said and how the audienceresponded.
3. Create a drawing or painting that shorvsthe Underground Railroad in action.
Write a caption for your picture that explains the action.
V. Working Together
1. Form a group with two or three classmates.Together,write a skit about one of the
peoplediscussedin the chapter.Discuss what story you want to tell in your skit.
Then write the dialogue.Perform your skit for the class.
2. Past to Present With a group, discussthe different ways abolitionists fought
against slavery.Discusshow successfulthese methods would be today.Write a
sentenceor two summarizing your discussion.