Town Hall: Exposing the Truth of the Abolitionist Movement

The Abolitionist Movement occurred from the 1830s-1870s and was a groundbreaking movement that pushed for the emancipation of all slaves and the ending of racial segregation and discrimination. Abolitionists focused their attention on slavery and made it difficult to ignore as they heightened the rift that had threatened to destroy the unity of the nation. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists all worked tirelessly to push their own agendas while also simultaneously exposing the truths about slavery during this time.

Pro-slavery leaders, such as John Tyler, John C. Calhoun, and James Hammond, all argued to ensure that slavery was kept in the south, whether it be James Hammond's argument that "slavery is approved by Christ through his apostles" or even John C. Calhoun's argument that "labor is the only source of wealth." Leaders such as these were very powerful and influential to most of the country due to the fact that most of the country believed in the institution of slavery because although African Americans were treated harshly and weren't even considered to be "full citizens", the country was more focused on profiting off of labor then the damage that they were doing to the minority class.

Anti-slavery leaders, such as Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison, all fought hard during the abolitionist movement to make sure that minority voices were heard and Garrison swore that "they would never stop arguing, fighting, or defending the rights of slaves" and his amazing work done in his newspaper, The Liberator, further emphasized the true meaning and influence freedom of speech and freedom of press allowed, whether pro or anti- slavery, had over the American people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW3XPR4t-g4