Abolitionists

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or action of emancipation. With all the bad publicity surrounding slavery, they rather people talk about and instead talk about the good that they do for these “poor unfortunate souls”. The South would rather convince people that slavery is not evil at all then have it completely abolished.

As the South was busy trying to discourage the general public, in some parts of the North, abolitionists were also starting to come under fire. The North’s bankers and creditors relied Southern farmers to pay their debts but with the constant rebellions and riots inspired by abolitionists, their starting to suffer financially. Not only did bankers suffer but so did manufacturers, as they depended on cotton from Southern plantations. Eventually strong hostility developed in the North against the radical abolitionists and their tactics.

Eventually the issue of slavery had finally reached the federal government. At the capital, the opinion was also split but Congress knew that they couldn’t abolish slavery, to the dismay of abolitionists . And after the Mexican-American War, this issue had become a really serious topic. To please both sides, Congress decided to admitted the newly acquired California as free and ban the slave trade in DC, but not slavery. However, this temporary solution would not hold forever. This “solution” was further tested when Abraham Lincoln of Illinois came into office in 1861. Lincoln claimed to be in favor of emancipation but truth be told, he was more on the fence about it, even as a senator .

After Americans gained their independence, slaves have always been waiting in line to get their taste of independence as well. Even with the help of abolitionists, it seemed liked their day will never come. With Lincoln in presidential office trying to keep the Union together, it seems like it could be a reality. However Lincoln’s “stance” on emancipation eventually costed him and the slaves in the years leading up to the evitable Civil War.