Slavery DBQ

Words: 460
Pages: 2

Although our founding fathers never directly addressed the issue of slavery when forming the United States Constitution, Northern states started to abolish this institution following the Declaration of Independence (1776) which played a major part in influencing people’s views regarding human rights (Document A). An example of this would be in 1783, which marked the end of the American Revolutionary War, where a court case named the Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Nathaniel Jennison put an end to slavery in this state since they felt such a practice conflicted with the democratic ideals on which America was built (Document B). Furthermore, unlike the South whose weather and land were perfect for farming, the weather in the North changed …show more content…
Northerners were greatly opposed to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 when implemented, for they believed such an act was unfair since they though this law favored the interest of Southerners. In Boston, anti-slavery citizens disseminated posters warning blacks to be cautious so they would not be kidnapped by slave-catchers (Document I). Additionally, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) exposed how incredibly brutal the institution of slavery was in the South which prompted people who were not aware of such cruelty like the Europeans to sympathize with abolitionist movement considering this novel was translated in German due to its international popularity (Document J). Moreover, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, a friend of Frederick Douglass, went as far as to organize Anti-Slavery Societies which were established across the North to help African-Americans in addition to try to abolish slavery in the United States as its name indicates (Document E). Lastly, there were female abolitionists as well such as Angelina Grimke who tried to encourage Southern women to use their domestic influence to try to change their society for the better socially (Document