The Politics of Abolitionism

A collection of flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to abolitionism and its historical context.

Abolitionism

A social and political movement aimed at ending slavery.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 agreement that allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between free and slave states.

Compromise of 1850

A set of laws that addressed the issues of slavery in territories acquired from the Mexican-American War.

Fugitive Slave Law

A law that required the return of runaway slaves and imposed penalties on anyone who aided their escape.

American Colonization Society

An organization founded in 1816 to promote the emigration of free African Americans to Africa.

Moral suasion

A strategy used by abolitionists to persuade others to oppose slavery through moral arguments.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' which depicted the harsh realities of slavery.

Frederick Douglass

An African American abolitionist, writer, and speaker who escaped from slavery.

Personal Liberty Act

A law in Massachusetts that aimed to protect escaped slaves from being returned to their owners under the Fugitive Slave Law.

Anthony Burns

A fugitive slave whose return to slavery sparked significant anti-slavery protests in Boston.