Abolition

1
Abolition

• The Role of the Individual in Effecting Change.

2
Moral/Political Opposition to Slavery

• God created all people in his image, morally
  wrong to keep people in a position of inequality.
• Slavery is contrary to the philosophy of the
  Declaration of Independence.

3
Reform Movements

• Women saw the abolitionist movement as an
  extension of rights to their gender. Ante bellum
  reforms were all grounded in the principles of
  the 2nd Great Awakening.
• Southerners believed any reforms would lead to
  the abolition of slavery.

4
Methods

• Public speeches, editorials, personal testimony,
  novels, the Underground Railroad and politics.

5
Lincolns Position

• He opposed the extension of slavery into the
  western territories.
• Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union.
• Lincoln hoped the Emancipation Proclamation would
  solidify support for the Union and forestall
  British support for the Confederacy. (Foreign
  Policy)
• The Proclamation only applied to those states in
  rebellion.
• Therefore the North could not enforce this edict.

6
13th Amendment

• Lincoln used all of his power as Chief Legislator
  to get the 2/3 needed to pass the amendment.
• The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery an
  issue, thus giving the Union a morale cause for
  victory. Although Lincoln was dead by the time
  the 13th Amendment was ratified, the amendment
  was the legal extension of the Emancipation
  Proclamation.

7
Thesis

• Antebellum America witnessed a sweeping sense of
  political and social reform. No reform saw a
  greater conflict than that of abolition. Several
  individuals contributed the the abolition of
  slavery. Abraham Lincoln used his political
  position of president to bring success to the
  abolitionist cause.