African American Abolitionists Essay

Words: 653
Pages: 3

The Abolitionists were people living in the United States during the 19th century. Their goal was to abolish slavery in the states so the slaves could live freely and independently of their masters. The movement started in Vermont in 1777, and slavery was banned in the northern states, while the practice was allowed to continue in the southern states. The problem was so bad that some abolitionists helped slaves escape using the Underground Railroad and its network of “conductors.” Abolitionists established Liberia in the 1820’s, a city for escaped slaves on the west coast of Africa, but it was riddled with disease. There were many influential individuals fighting for the movement, such as Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd …show more content…
He was born into slavery in Maryland. In September of 1833 he escaped, and met his future wife, Anna Murray, who helped him escape. Once the couple had managed to leave the south, they settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts and were married. He was the Chief Editor of The North Star, his first abolitionist newspaper. In addition to fighting for the abolition of slavery, he also fought for women's rights, and was the only African-American to attend the first Women's Rights convention in upstate New York. After attending the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. in 1895, he was on his way home when he suffered a fatal heart …show more content…
When she was a child, Tubman suffered a traumatic head injury when one of her masters threw a metal weight at her head when she stopped him from striking another slave. Because of this, she regularly experienced seizures, headaches, and powerful visions she interpreted as visions from God. In 1849 she escaped captivity to Philadelphia and made thirteen missions to help at least seventy slaves escape captivity and make it to the north using the Underground Railroad. She also served as an armed scout and a spy for the Union during the Civil War. In 1913 she died of pneumonia. Her legacy lives on, as of 2016 the United States Treasury plans to have Tubman replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, which is planned to go into circulation in