Douglass in the Classroom |
DOCUMENT PACKET: ABOLITIONISM DIVIDED By the mid-1830s, the reinvigorated abolitionist movement had begun to exert a powerful influence on American society. It had also begun to experience serious internal strains and divisions. One of the most contentious issues dividing abolitionists was the question of how they should accomplish their goals. A committed pacifist, William Lloyd Garrison urged followers to eschew violence in favor of "moral suasion." Instead of overpowering slaveholders and forcing them to release their slaves, Garrison believed that abolitionists should try to appeal to the conscience of these individuals by convincing them that their actions were morally wrong and sinful. This approach remained dominant within the movement for many years, due in large part to Garrison's influence. Over time, however, some activists began to question the efficacy of Garrison's commitment to nonviolence and embraced more drastic means. For example, it was a group of prominent abolitionists from New England who helped John Brown stage his bloody uprisings in Kansas and Virginia by sending him much needed arms and money. It was also a group of northern abolitionists who stormed a Boston courthouse in 1854 and killed a white guard in an effort to rescue the fugitive slave Anthony Burns. By deliberately inciting southerners' anger and alarm in this way, the radical anti-slavery activists contributed greatly to the growing crisis between the North and the South. As you read the following passages, try to decide which approach you think would be more effective in ending slavery: the use of violence or peaceful non-resistance. You should use the discussion questions listed on the last page to guide your analysis. Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g05321> UNCLE TOM'S CABIN Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin is an excellent example of the use of moral suasion. Published in 1852, the book was an instant financial success, selling more than one million copies by the middle of the following year. It also exerted a profound impact on the course of American history. Although many of her characters were stereotypes and her scenes unbelievable, Stowe nevertheless managed to convince countless readers that slavery was more than just a contentious political issue, it was a moral and ethical struggle as well. Stowe's melodramatic depiction of slavery attracted thousands to the abolitionist cause. In fact, her novel had such an impact that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe during the Civil War, he reportedly said to her: "So this is the little lady who started the big war."
Source: Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's cabin; or, Life among the lowly (Boston, J.P. Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, 1852). WALKER'S APPEAL, 1829 David Walker, a free black from Boston, was one of the most militant and radical of the abolitionists. In 1829, he provoked a storm of controversy by publishing the controversial pamphlet Walker's Appeal.to the Colored Citizens, in which he urges slaves to arm themselves and revolt against their masters.
Source: Walker, David. Walker's appeal, in four articles : together with a preamble to the colored citizens of the world, but in particular, and very expressly, to those of the United States of America, written in Boston, in the state of Massachusetts, Sept. 28th, 1829 (Boston: Walker, 1829). GARRISON'S RESPONSE TO WALKER'S APPEAL, 1831 Excerpt from William Lloyd Garrison's editorial regarding Walker's Appeal:
Source: Garrison, William Lloyd."Walker's Appeal," The Liberator (1831 January 8), p. 1. FREDERICK DOUGLASS: "NO PROGRESS WITHOUT STRUGGLE" Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave and renowned abolitionist, split with his mentor William Lloyd Garrison over the latter's dogged commitment to nonviolence. Although Douglass had once supported the idea that only peaceful means should be used to eliminate slavery, he eventually began to doubt the practicality of this tactic. In 1847, Douglass met the radical abolitionist John Brown and was impressed by the man's militant stance against slavery and willingness to take action. He soon began to shock anti-slavery audiences by admitting he would be pleased to hear that slaves in the South had revolted and "were spreading death and destruction." Douglass's apparent turn-around on this issue is evident in the 1857 speech he gave on West Indian emancipation:
Source: Douglass, Frederick. Two speeches by Frederick Douglass; one on West India emancipation, delivered at Canandaigua, Aug. 4th, and the other on the Dred Scott decision, delivered in New York, on the occasion of the anniversary of the American Abolition Society, May 1857 (Rochester, C. P. Dewey, printer [1857]). JOHN BROWN'S RAID On October 16, 1859, the anti-slavery zealot John Brown led a small band of followers into Virginia and seized control of the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry. They planned to use the weapons to free the slaves in the area and incite a general slave uprising throughout the South. Much to their surprise, however, the slaves refused to join their cause. Instead, Brown and his associates quickly found themselves surrounded by angry citizens, local militia companies, and federal troops. After ten of his men were killed, Brown finally surrendered and was captured. He was promptly charged with treason, tried, and executed on December 2, 1859. Six of his followers met the same fate. The one thing that southerners feared above all else was a slave insurrection. The fact that white abolitionists now seem committed to producing such an insurrection enraged them and convinced many that they could no longer live safely within the union. The following editorial, published in November 1859 the South Carolina Mercury, is typical of Southern news reports following Brown's raid:
Source: South Carolina Mercury (November 1, 1859) Discussion Questions
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