How Abolition Removed Slavery From United States

Hardships of Slavery will never be forgotten...
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Throughout the 1800s due to economic developments, the United States was divided into two sections, the North and the South.  The North was beginning to industrialize with innovations such as creating factories while the South was remaining more agricultural with producing such products like cotton and tobacco.  The cheapest way the south could produce massive amounts of these crops were to rely on slave labor in order to build profit.  Not all citizens were in favor of slavery, in fact Abolitionists were focusing to persuade Americans that "slavery was a sin that couldn't be allowed to exist" (Streitmatter, 26).  Could Abolitionists change the mind of a divided nation that slavery should be abolished? 

 

 http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/Brooklyn

                  (November 1837) Pro Slavery Riot which led to the death of Rev. Elijah Lovejoy

Elijah Lovejoy always had a desire to reform the wrongs of society.  While creating a Presbyterian newspaper in Missouri back in 1834 Lovejoy wrote "slavery is a sin-now, heretofore, hereafter, and forever a sin".  Missouri was a southern state that still had slavery occur during abolition movements.  With others not approving or accepting Lovejoy's thoughts on the anti slavery movements he was writing about, a mob of men for pro-slavery went to the warehouse where Lovejoy's published work was and demanded Lovejoy to leave the building. After refusing to, the men attempted to burn down the building, which soon led to a riot that left Elijah Lovejoy murdered.  After his death, the abolition movement would never be the same.  Lovejoy was killed by a mob while he was defending freedom of the press.  I feel that maybe if the pro slavery population got the chance to read Lovejoy's readings, it could have persuaded them to have change of thought and could have stopped this gifted man from being murdered.  People back in the 1800s and even today take things way out of proportion and will take drastic measures to prove their point or get what they want. 

http://kasamaproject.org/category/history/slavery/

 Another wise man, born in Massachusetts in 1805, known as the most influential abolitionists was no other than William Lloyd Garrison. Becoming an apprentice printer at only age 10, Garrison began helping abolitionists edit their work and soon became passionate on stopping the corrupt American slave traders.  By 1831 Garrison would soon move to Boston and start his own paper The Liberator. Garrison's goal was to get his information out there and to inform and acknowledge the corruption of slavery to the people throughout the United States.  The Liberator became an instant success.

Garrison's influence on abolishing slavery was not catching everyone's best interests.  States were soon offering bounties for Garrison or any other people distributing The Liberator. Even in his own city of Boston in 1835 mobs of angry men were gathering wanting Garrison to be stopped and cease his work.  Just as the mob found him and was about to lynch Garrison he was saved by supporters.  The Liberator soon became "the most widely known voice for abolition" (Streitmatter, 33). By 1850 mainstream newspapers joined Garrison's ideas on informing the U.S. public on not supporting the idea of slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison: http://kasamaproject.org/category/history/slavery/

After the civil war took place between 1861-1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution would soon be established in December of 1865 which  abolished slavery.  One magazine called The Nation wrote concerning to William Lloyd Garrison and Abolition saying "It is perhaps, the most remarkable instance on record of single-hearted devotion to a cause".  If more people back then had the will power of William Lloyd Garrison, more controversies our nation has faced could have probably been avoided. 

 Both Rev Elijah Lovejoy and William Lloyd Garrison were without a doubt key factors into establishing the 13th Amendment of abolishing slavery.  But do we ever stop and think how different and what changes our society would have without these inspiring people?  If these men didn't spread there ideas and knowledge on the dehumanizing act of slavery could slavery still be going on for years to come throughout the 1800s.  These men changed America's views on African Americans and how they are just as equal as anyone else.  Our Constitution states "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL".  How come that has taken a toll on what the Southern States experienced?  It may be in our human nature to try to do what's best for ourselves to survive in this world, but when it comes to a point where you take away another person's rights to be human and free, you just have your mind in the gutter.