Abolitionism

The Seeds of the Anti-Slavery Movement

Abolitionism traces its origins to 1688, when Dutch and German Quakers in Pennsylvania authored the Petition Against Slavery, the first document in history to formally denounce the institution. The movement soon spread across the Atlantic, where English Quakers advocated for legal reform to abolish slave ownership. Abolitionism gained broader support during the 18th century, when Enlightenment ideals of tolerance and human rights began to sharpen opposition to the institution.

In 1787, British philanthropist and scholar Granville Smart launched the first organized campaign against slavery when he formed the Abolition Society. Working with Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce, Smart developed the legal argument that led to two landmark pieces of legislation: the Slave Trade Act (1807), which banned slave trafficking, and the Slavery Abolition Act (1833), which formally outlawed slavery in the British colonies.

Abolitionism followed a similar timeline in France. During the French Revolution, Enlightenment thinkers came to view slavery as incompatible with ideals of universal equality and human rights. France formally abolished the slave trade in 1819; a ban of the practice in the French colonies followed in 1848.

In 1817, Spain reached an agreement with Great Britain to end slave traffic to its colonies. The practice persisted for several decades, however, until the Spanish government implemented a permanent ban in 1867. Portugal followed suit two years later, banning the slave trade both at home and in all its colonies in 1869.

Abolitionism in the Antebellum United States

In the United States, the abolitionist movement began to coalesce in 1831, when journalist William Lloyd Garrison launched the anti-slavery journal The Liberator. Two years later, the creation of the American Antislavery Society brought national unity to diverse regional and state associations. Leading figures in the abolitionist movement included Frederick Douglass, a formerly enslaved person whose 1845 memoir further galvanized the cause of emancipation.

Philanthropy also did much to bolster support for the abolitionist cause. Donors helped fund anti-slavery publications and the construction of schools for former slaves. Organizers rallied volunteers to help maintain the Underground Railroad, a clandestine network of safehouses that sheltered escaped slaves on their way to Canada.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made it illegal to provide assistance to runaway slaves, radicalized certain segments within the abolitionist movement. That same year, philanthropist and reformer Gerrit Smith organized the Cazenovia Convention, urging abolitionists to disobey the new law. Smith later financed John Brown’s 1859 plot to instigate a slave revolt in Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

The Ongoing Struggle for Equal Rights

Abolitionist activity met fierce resistance from both Southern slave owners and conservative Northern whites, ultimately helping to precipitate the American Civil War. Two significant milestones emerged from that conflict: the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, in which Abraham Lincoln declared the liberation of all slaves in the U.S.; and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865, which formally guaranteed their freedom. When the institution was banned in Brazil in 1888, it completed the abolishment of slavery throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Although the era of slavery ended, the problem of racial injustice persists. Through its unwavering dedication to the cause of equality, the abolitionist movement foreshadowed the battle for civil rights in the 20th century. It remains a vital example of organized resistance to this day.

Contributors: Maha Tazi, Stephen Meyer