Abolitionist Lecture Notes

Grimke Sisters and Controversy

• Grimke Sisters' Advocacy
  • Spoke to mixed audiences about physical violence and sexual abuse in slavery.
  • Contradicted societal norms about women’s roles and topics they could discuss.
  • Faced public reprimand from Massachusetts General Assembly of Congregationalist Clergy (1836).
  • Sarah Grimke's rebuttal: Men and women are inherently equal and accountable.

Angelina Grimke's Historic Speech

• Speaking before the Massachusetts State Legislature (Feb 1838)
  • First American woman to speak before a legislative body.
  • Presented abolitionist petitions with 20,000 signatures.
  • Criticized press attacks and addressed women’s role in public reform.

Pennsylvania Hall Incident

• Three-Day Anti-Slavery Convention
  • Held by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society (May 1838).
  • Supported by prominent figures like John Quincy Adams.
  • Antagonism from the public through flyers, escalating to violence.
  • Destruction of Pennsylvania Hall by a mob, encouraged by city officials.
  • Broader attack on the black community, illustrating white opposition to abolitionism.

Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831)

• Nat Turner
  • Influenced by the Second Great Awakening and Haitian Revolution.
  • Saw himself as a prophet; initiated the largest mass slave revolt in U.S. history.
  • Resulted in severe crackdown and increased persecution of enslaved populations.
  • Southerners feared Northern abolitionist influence leading to rebellion.

Northern and Southern Views on Slavery

• Northern Perspective

  • Many indifferent or opposed abolitionism due to economic concerns and prejudice.
  • Feared economic impact of potential black labor influx.

• Southern Perspective

  • Saw Northern abolitionist efforts as a threat to their way of life.
  • Developed a dual defense: political (e.g., Gag Rule of 1836, censorship) and social (Biblical justification, paternalism).
  • Argued slavery was a positive good vs. earlier view of it being a necessary evil.

Southern Fear and Reaction

• Response to Abolitionist Agitation
  • Increased anti-literacy laws and supervision of slave congregations.
  • Suppression of free black rights and black churches to control potential insurrections.

Northern vs. Southern Perceptions

• Northern Conspiracy Theories

  • Saw Southern actions as undermining constitutional rights and democratic norms.

• Southern Conspiracy Theories

  • Viewed Northern abolitionists as seeking to incite slave rebellions and racial violence.

Fitzhugh's Critique of Northern Wage Labor

• George Fitzhugh
  • Criticized Northern capitalism and praised slavery as superior to wage labor.
  • Argued abolitionists’ influence caused slave revolts like Nat Turner's.

Key Questions

• Define the difference between anti-slavery and abolition.
  • Anti-Slavery: Opposed to the expansion or practice of slavery.
  • Abolition: Active movement to end slavery completely.
• How did Southern defense of slavery change in the 1830s?
  • Shift from necessary evil to positive good.
• What conspiracy did the North see in the South?
  • Southern efforts to undermine democratic principles and spread slavery.
• What conspiracy did the South see in the North?
  • Northern abolitionists fomenting slave rebellions and racial integration.

Important Figures

• Sarah and Angelina Grimke
• Nat Turner
• John Quincy Adams
• George Fitzhugh

Conclusion

• Abolitionist efforts were contentious and faced significant opposition.
• The lecture covered key historical figures, events, and the evolving defense of slavery.
• Reminder: Take the abolitionist assault on slavery lecture recap quiz.