Abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison faced numerous obstacles when it came to standing up against slavery in the early to mid-1800s. Stereotypes, justification of slavery by those who supported slavery, and racial prejudices were just a few of the difficulties that stood in their way. Stereotypes about the slaves ran rampant throughout the states. Dr. Samuel Cartwright even went so far as to invent new “diseases” that became stereotypical during the time period. Two of these newfound diseases were “Drapetomania” which caused the slaves to run away and “Dysaethesia Aethiopica” which affected the body and mind, in other words, caused them to become “lazy” something unfounded as slaves worked hard every day.
