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Abolitionists Dbq

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In the 1830’s to 60’s, tension was building up in the United States. The country was fighting with itself over the controversial topic of slavery- until it exploded into a civil war. During these times, states were split into south and north. Southern states allowed slavery, while Northern states were free states- The Abolitionist movement first sought to abolish slavery, and get rid of racial discrimination immediately. However, this did not work- in 1862, the Civil War started, which split the entire country in two over the issue. Abolitionists, people who opposed slavery, were continuing to work to try to continue their plan to end slavery. Some, like William Lloyd Garrison, wrote newspapers, like the Liberator. Well known speakers like Frederick Douglass and Lucy Stone supported the movement, as did many. Abolitionists were also known to protect fugitive slaves after the Fugitive Slave Act, passed in 1850, which meant slaves within the Northern states could be prosecuted and brought back to the Southern states, …show more content…

He was well known at the time for attacking pro-slavery residents during the bleeding Kansas conflicts, in which there were many violent confrontations in Kansas over the morals of slavery. John Brown was different than some other abolitionists, as one of his beliefs was that punishing the wrong with violence- or those who were pro-slavery- was a fitting form of ‘punishment’. One of John Brown’s known supporter was actually Harriet Tubman- they met after she had escaped from slavery, and she agreed on his views that slave owners or pro-slavery citizens should be punished with violence. This belief eventually led to John Brown’s death, in 1859. In West Virginia, he and 21 of his followers led an attack on the arsenal Harpers Ferry. However, his troops were soon surrendered, and he was then hanged for the crime. However, John Brown remained a well respected individual for his actions for the abolitionist

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