The Abolitionist Movement

African-Americans suffered in many ways. They weren’t granted the opportunity of freedom and equality. Many people wanted a change to this injustice. The Abolitionist Movement was a push to end all racial injustice and segregation. It also pushed for the emancipation of slaves. Women played a huge role in granting freedom for African-Americans. All of this was the topic in a country that guaranteed “equal and justice for all” and where all men were viewed as equal. If this was the case, why were there people fighting for equality every day in workplaces, restaurants, and even on the streets.

The Abolitionist movement was the movement that tried to help with the emancipation of all slaves. Abolitionist believed that having slaves was a national sin. They knew it was very wrong to own slaves and for there to be a such thing as a slave so they tried their very hardest to eliminate it . “Abolitionists believed that slavery was a national sin, and that it was the moral obligation of every American to help eradicate it from the American landscape by gradually freeing the slaves and returning them to Africa. ( Cornell Library, 2002).” Many women stepped up to speak, write, and participate in movements to spread the awareness of the oppression of slavery and why it was wrong. Even though these seem like little tasks, they contributed to the world that there is today. Slavery does not exist any more in America and African-Americans have way more freedom to do things that they weren’t able to do before.

Women had no vote in the political area back in the days. But, the role they played in the Abolitionist Movement was a big one. The role women played in the Abolitionist Movement is a very important one. Women fought hard for anti-slavery. Women would write books, organize, speak, lecture, etc. These roles may seem very small, but they helped shaped America. Women weren’t given the opportunity to participate in politics, so they had to resort to these contributions. Women such as, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and many more had huge roles very in the Abolitionist Movement. Harriet Tubman created the Underground Railroad which led many slaves to freedom in a different state. Sojourner Truth wrote poems and books about the inequalities of women and African Americans. Her most famous work is ““Ain’t I a Woman?” Writing books, poems, and articles in newspapers helped to spread the word about the injustice of slavery. This helped the subject of slavery to gain more attention. Women, were faced with many obstacles. Obstacles would be them getting mocked and humiliated for others for even trying to make a change. “While men led anti-slavery organizations and lectured, women were not allowed to hold these positions. When women defied these rules and spoke out against slavery in public, they were mocked. (Allison Langes , 2015).” The mockery would be men writing articles and creating cartoons to humiliate women. This didn’t stop women from standing up for what they believed was right!

Harriet Tubman had a huge contribution in the Abolitionist Movement.. Harriet Tubman stepped up to the plate to help people get their freedom by creating a underground railroad. The Underground Railroad was a passageway that led African-Americans to their freedom. Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave herself. She was known as being the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad since she led it. She did all of this before the Civil War. The Underground Railroad aided her in her escape because it was a pathway to Pennsylvania where there was freedom. However, she just couldn’t stand the fact of her only being free, while others were still being mistreated and slaves. She wanted freedom for her loved ones and family.

Soon, the Fugitive Act was introduced. This made it legal for slaves to be captured and enslaved, even if they were free. This made it much harder for Harriet Tubman to do her job, but, it didn’t stop her at all. She continued leading people to their freedom. “Nevertheless, it’s believed Harriet personally led at least 70 slaves to freedom, including her elderly parents, and instructed dozens of others on how to escape on their own. (History editors 2018).” This number may seem low, but Harriet Tubman started for some where. The slaves she led is not limited to the slaves that she introduced the Railroad to.

The role Sojourner Truth role in this movement was also a big one. She took the more verbal route by writing books and lecturing on anti-slavery and women’s rights. Truth met with other Abolitionist to discuss injustices. She, however, did not know how to read or write which was very common among African-Americans, since they weren’t granted the opportunity of education. These abolitionists persuaded her to give speeches on why slavery was wrong and the impact it had on society and African-Americans. She gave speeches nationally and also assisted in leading African-Americans to their freedom.

These roles may seem very small, but they certainly contributed to shaping the world today. Women were believed to only clean, and cook around the house. They were viewed as domestic, fragile, and submissive, which is why they stayed home and did these tasks. They were never given the upper hand to participate in politics. These women knew that slavery was wrong so they took things into their own hands. From writing, speaking and leading slaves to their freedom. They changed the roles of women and helped with the emancipation of slaves and all other injustices.

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