o Slavery and/or indentured servitude (e.g. role of slavery in NYC, abolition movements in NYC, etc.) – That is what I want my paper to be about
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if you’re uncertain about this at all.Abolitionist movements in New York
Slavery is the concept in which a person owns another human being. Slavery laws dictated that slaves had limited privileges and were classified as part of the property. Slaves were expected to execute household chores, stiff labor without remuneration (Hellie, 2020). Slavery was characterized by exploitation, severe punishment, and inhumane treatment of the subject. Slavery was actualized through raiding weaker communities and auctioning working members to willing buyers.
Further, slavery dates back to early human civilization, where prisoners of war captured were sold to work as slaves to their conquerors. Perhaps the most renowned is American slavery. American slavers raided the African continent to source for slaves to afford cheap labor in farm plantations in the U.S. The study aims to portray the abolitionist movements in New York City (NYC) and their contribution to end slavery.
The enactment of the Missouri compromise in 1820 gave the consent for multiple states in the U.S to become slave states (History.com Editors, 2019). Provoked abolitionist movements in the northern states that were against the practice. Abolitionist movements were mass sensitization groups comprising religious institutions, white activists, prominent black men, and women leaders who had escaped the bondage of slavery. The abolitionist movements were fighting to end the oppressive practice of slavery. Sensitize the populaces against the practice of slavery, emancipate the slaves, and offer refuge to fled slaves. History traces the origination of the antislavery movements in NYC in the period between 1830 and 1870. Abolitionist movements simulated numerous strategies instigated in England to end slavery in the early 1800, which were successful.
Initial movements were started as religious groups who initiated an aggressive oral campaign against the vices of slavery. Consequently, the movements matured to political entities applying maximum pressure to the government and sometimes adopting violent doings against the proponents of slavery. The engagements between abolitionist movements and slavery perpetrators were often marked with heated debates. Violent encounters that fuelled division along racial lines of white Americans and African Americans eventually led to civil war.
New York City played a significant role in the establishment of abolitionist movements (History.com Editors, 2019). Further, NYC was the coordination center of the crusade to eradicate slavery national wide. Primary Brooklyn availed the resources and hosting of slave escapees in the Underground Railroad network that is still in existence today. The railroad proved a tranquil place for healing against the suffering of slavery. Abolitionists depicted slavery as an abomination and recruited followers to run a continuous movement to vanquish the vice. To accomplish their objective, the abolitionist ran for political offices in NYC, sponsored petitions to the Congress to end slavery, and enlightened civilians with antislavery publications.
Additionally, abolitionists were opposing the implementation of the oppressive laws. For instance, the Fugitive Slave Act, enacted by Congress in 1850. Dictated that all slave escapees needed to be arrested and returned to their proprietors (Rosen, 2018). The act necessitated all American civilians to cooperate with fled slave hunters. Further, the Supreme Court gave a verdict that civilians of African origins, at liberty or enslaved, lacked legal citizenship privileges. Continuous show of arrogance by the government of the day angered the opponents of slavery. It motivated them to renew radical approaches to a permanent deal with the vice of slavery.
The notable abolitionist movement comprises the Plymouth church. Led by renowned abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher, the religious entity organized, rescued, and housed slave escapees and was part of the more extensive underground rail network (Dang &Trodd, 2018). Plymouth church was located in Brooklyn, NYC, and was the grand central station of coordinating abolitionist movements. The church was responding to the congregation’s efforts in the abolition of slavery campaign. Beecher played a significant role in sensitizing the members to join and contribute resources towards the noble cause. The minister’s prowess in preaching attracted large congregations of sympathizers who heeded his advocacy call to end slavery and demonstrate against the government. Beecher encouraged the faithful to host those fleeing from slavery against the government directive.
Friend’s church Quakers was a dedicated religious institution that incorporated the analogies of abolitionists. The church leadership collaborated with prominent abolitionist Fredrick Douglas, a former ring leader of the slave eradication. The movement focused its efforts on opposing government biased and oppressive laws. The Quakers movement in NYC adopted radical approaches of instigating divisive measures to create a state of anarchy to pressure the authorities to desert the practice of slavery, specifically against the black people (Dang &Trodd, 2018). In addition, the Quaker movement threatened and implemented violent approaches targeting the brutal slave hunters. The group activities are credited with creating a rift among the supporters of slavery and the abolitionist that initiated the civil war that eventually ended slavery. In addition, the group coordinated the evacuation process of fled salves through the underground rail network.
Individual abolitionist efforts also played a progressive role in emancipation efforts against slavery. White activist and author William Lloyd Garrison established a Liberator publication (Dang &Trodd, 2018). Garrison’s purpose was to use print media to sensitize the masses against the ills of slavery. The news outlet highlighted and illuminated oppressive laws enacted by the government. The liberator accomplished the purpose of enlightening the masses to rise against slavery. Still, the publications encouraged other people to join efforts and create a unified approach to demand equal treatment of the black people.
Notable women abolitionists in NYC included Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was regarded as an outcast for her gallant campaign to end slavery despite the family backlash. The enigma persevered the tribulations and encouraged other women to join the abolitionist movements. Stowe is credited with writing the novel Uncle Tom Cabin that portrayed the perils of slavery (Swerdlow, 2018). Additionally, Harriet Tubman was another woman leading the course of antislavery. Tubman was of African American origin and had gone through the inhumane practice of slavery. She strongly advocated against women’s suffrage, and her efforts encouraged numerous populaces to start advocating for equal treatment among men and women. Finally, women abolitionists like Susan B Antony, a public speaker, utilized their oratory skills to sensitize the public on the need for equality. Susan is credited for fighting for the women’s right to vote and elect their preferred leaders, a right that the constitution denied women.
However, it is crucial to note that the abolitionist movement did not always agree on the progression strategy to end slavery. Experts depict wide variations in the slave abolition strategies in NYC. The white activist, religious sects, and black abolitionists often differed on the approach of eradicating slavery. For instance, white activists such as Garrison advocated for a tranquil process through dialogue between the governments, slavery proponents, versus the black abolitionist movement (History.com Editors, 2018). White activists advocated liaising and developing a solution to end the vice of slavery. Significantly the concept of white activists was not practical since the majority of slaves were blacks deprived of the right to vote, citizenship and lacked formidable representatives to bargain on behalf of them.
The religious abolitionist movements advocated for a peaceful solution to resolve the glitch of slavery. Primarily implemented through bible teachings to illuminate that all men were created equal by God. The religious abolitionist outfit differed and cautioned their members against radical approaches such as violence, aggressive interactions, and extreme measures such as killings of slave hunters. In contrast, the black abolitionist movement supported the implementation of all means available to end the oppressive slavery practice due to years of stagnation using the peaceful means that often failed to address their disputes. Fate pushed and convinced the black abolitionist movements that emancipation could only be achieved through aggressive approaches. The black movements strongly supported self-defense and revenge mechanism. Creation of an armed black wing to deal with brutal slave hunters. Black abolitionist activities often led to widespread violence, killings, and tense relations between white Americans and African Americans that are still evident to date.
The advent of the civil war in early 1860 in the U.S between the flanks supporting and opposing the end of slavery marked the turning point of eradication of slavery. Late president Abraham Lincoln was opposed to the practice of slavery. Lincoln Seized the moment to declare the emancipation proclamation to outlaw slavery after defeating the states that were pro-slavery (Rosen, 2018). The enactment of the Thirteen Amendment in 1865 officially abolished all methods of slavery in the U.S, signaling a win to the abolitionist movement’s efforts.
In conclusion, the study depicts the abolitionist movement’s roles and efforts in eradicating slavery in the U.S. In addition, the research portrays NYC abolitionist movements in their fight to attain equal treatment, abolition of slavery, protect African Americans against violence, and fight against racial discrimination.
References
Hellie, R. (2020, August 24). Slavery. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/slavery-sociology
History.com Editors. (2019, November 29). Abolitionist movement. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/abolitionist-movement
Nicholson, A., Dang, M., & Trodd, Z. (2018). A full freedom: Contemporary survivors’ definitions of slavery. Human Rights Law Review, 18(4), 689-704.
Rosen, D. A. (2018). Slavery, Race, and Outlawry: The Concept of the Outlaw in Nineteenth-Century Abolitionist Rhetoric. American Journal of Legal History, 58(1), 126-156.
Swerdlow, A. (2018). 2. Abolition’s Conservative Sisters: The Ladies’ New York City Anti-Slavery Societies, 1834—1840. In The Abolitionist Sisterhood (pp. 31-44). Cornell University Press.
