Southerners considered slaves to be property, not people; however, the North went through a period of moral suasion where they found god and thought slaves should be treated fairly. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a series of religious revivals took place throughout the nation. Sometimes these revivals were called the Second Great Awakening. The people who followed these revivals “renounced personal sin, vowed to live sanctified lives, and committed themselves to helping others see the light.” (p.298) However, Northern revivalists saw social reforms differently than southerners. Preachers at this time argued that sin and evil was avoidable and Northerners saw slavery as morally wrong and as one of these evils or sins. As the northerners went through this process of moral suasion the southerners (white plantation owners) kept to their old traditions of slavery. Southern revivalists tried to pass laws in the North such as the Fugitive Slave Act, which required all citizens to help catch runaway
Southerners considered slaves to be property, not people; however, the North went through a period of moral suasion where they found god and thought slaves should be treated fairly. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a series of religious revivals took place throughout the nation. Sometimes these revivals were called the Second Great Awakening. The people who followed these revivals “renounced personal sin, vowed to live sanctified lives, and committed themselves to helping others see the light.” (p.298) However, Northern revivalists saw social reforms differently than southerners. Preachers at this time argued that sin and evil was avoidable and Northerners saw slavery as morally wrong and as one of these evils or sins. As the northerners went through this process of moral suasion the southerners (white plantation owners) kept to their old traditions of slavery. Southern revivalists tried to pass laws in the North such as the Fugitive Slave Act, which required all citizens to help catch runaway