Document E:

“We will do all . . . to overthrow the most execrable system of slavery that has ever been witnessed upon earth; to deliver our land from its deadliest curse; to wipe out the violent stain which rests upon our national escutcheon; and to secure to the colored population of the United States all the rights and privileges which belong to them as Americans – come what may to our persons, our interests, or our reputations, whether we live to witness the triumph of LIBERTY, JUSTICE, AND HUMANITY, or perish ultimately as martyrs in this great, benevolent and holy cause.”
----- Declaration of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1834)

Document F:

“How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also . . . . if the law is of such a nature that it requires you to be an agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law . . . .”
----- Henry David Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” (1849)

Document G:

“I am determined at every hazard to lift up the standard of emancipation in the eyes of the nation . . . till every chain be broken and every bondman set free! Let southern oppressors tremble; let their secret abettors tremble; let their northern apologists tremble; let all the enemies of the persecuted blacks tremble. . . . I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I don’t wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm . . . but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest; I will not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD.”
----- William Lloyd Garrison, The Liberator, January 1, 1831

Document H:

“I tell you Americans! That unless you speedily alter your course, you and your country are gone!!!!!! For God Almighty will tear up the very face of the earth!!! . . . . But I am afraid that they have done us so much injury, and are so firm in their belief that our Creator made us to be an inheritance to them forever, that their hearts will be hardened so that their destruction may be sure. But O Americans! I warn you . . . to repent and reform, or you are ruined!!!
----- David Walker’s Appeal in Four Articles with a Preamble to
the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829)

Questions To Develop Student Discussion:

1. If you were debating John C. Calhoun and George Fitzhugh, how would you have responded to their arguments?

2. Based on the readings, which viewpoint most closely corresponds with your own? Explain.

3. Which statements would you characterize as moderate, and which ones would you characterize as militant? Explain and support your answer.

4. Do you agree or disagree with Henry David Thoreau’s position on civil
disobedience concerning slavery? Under what conditions do you think that civil disobedience is justified? Explain.

5. Should the abolitionists be blamed for Southern secession from the Union and the Civil War, or praised for bringing slavery to an end?

6. Were the abolitionists’ militant rhetoric and actions necessary for the abolition of slavery? Explain your opinion.

Application:

(a) Students can compare the militant behavior and rhetoric of the abolitionists with reform movements from other historical periods and issues such as temperance and prohibition, voting rights and equality for women, civil rights for African Americans, conservation and environmental concerns, etc. The “essential question” posed in this lesson, as its primary learning objective, can readily be applied to any other reform movement in United States history.

(b) Students can be referred to a recent article in The New York Times (August 8, 2005), entitled "Abolitionist’s Family Celebrated a Legacy of Nonconformity." This article highlights the recent family reunion of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison’s descendents in Boston. Following the reading, students should be asked if this article helped to give them a better understanding of the abolitionist legacy.

(c) At the 1964 Republican convention, Barry Goldwater (the Republican nominee) stated in a speech that “extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Would you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain.

For further resources about the history of the abolitionist movement, please visit our suggested resources page.