Anti Slavery Movement Essay

Some of the first anti-slavery societies in America were predominantly founded by Quakers in the 1770’s and 1780’s, insisting on the maxim of moral reciprocity found in the Bible: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” In New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, where the movement was most influential in the early republic, forms of emancipation were adopted. However, because of respect for private property rights, they argued for gradual emancipation and advocated compensation to slave owners. Due to the conservative nature of the movement slavery in these states ended exceedingly slowly. Specifically in New York, gradual emancipation was enacted in 1799, but slave ownership persisted until 1827. Notably, these early anti-slavery movements avoided associating with blacks and did not invite them to abolitionist meetings. In fact, anti-black sentiments were common amongst early anti-slavery advocates. One of the most influential anti-slavery groups in the North was the American Colonization Society. Founded by …show more content…
Many black abolitionists were heavily opposed to the racist anti-slavery society, one described the it as “the negro 's greatest enemy.” At this point, there was an evolution within the anti-slavery movement directly because of black abolitionists — a move from desiring gradual emancipation to demanding immediate and uncompensated emancipation. At the heart of this transformation was a black reinterpretation of Christian doctrine. Southerners attempted to used Christianity to teach their slaves that God rewarded obedience to masters, as Jesus alluded to in the book of Matthew. Despite this, slaves identified with the story Moses leading his people out of bondage and King David’s triumph over the giant Goliath. Black churches were “seedbeds of resistance.” A radical liberation theology emerged and impacted the abolitionist