Slavery did not end overnight in america before any

Slavery did not end overnight in America. Before any meaningful reform could happen, people needed
to recognize that the economic benefit was vastly overshadowed by the overwhelming repugnance,
6
immorality, and inhumanity of slavery.
As the cotton industry grew and slavery became more and more entrenched
7
across the American
South, opposition to it also grew.
The first widely accepted solution to the slavery question in the 1820s was colonization. In effect,
supporters of colonization wanted to transplant
8
the slave population back to Africa. Their philosophy
was simple: slaves were brought to America involuntarily. Why not give them a chance to enjoy life as
though such a forced migration had never taken place? Funds were raised to transport freed African-
Americans across the Atlantic in the opposite direction. The nation of Liberia
9
was created as a haven
10
for former American slaves.
But most African-Americans opposed this practice. The vast majority had never set foot on African soil.
Many African-Americans rightly believed that they had helped build this country and deserved to live as
free citizens of America. By the end of the decade, a full-blown Abolitionist movement
11
was born. ;
These new Abolitionists were different from their forebears. They were more radical than members of
the early antislavery societies. Past Abolitionists had called for a gradual end to slavery. They
supported compensation to owners of slaves for their loss of property. They raised money for the
purchase of slaves to grant freedom to selected individuals.
The new Abolitionists thought differently. They saw slavery as a blight
12
on America that must be
brought to an end immediately and without compensation to owners. They sent petitions to Congress
and the states, campaigned for office, and flooded the South with inflammatory
13
literature.
Needless to say, they raised eyebrows throughout the North and the South. Soon, the battle lines were
drawn. President Andrew Jackson banned the post office from delivering Abolitionist literature in the
south. A "gag rule” was passed on the floor of the House of Representatives forbidding the discussion
of bills that restricted slavery. Abolitionists were physically attacked because of their outspoken anti-
slavery views. While northern churches rallied to the Abolitionist cause, the churches of the South used
the Bible to defend slavery.
[5]
[10]
4. Emancipation (noun): the fact or process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions
5. Sentiment (noun): a view or attitude toward a situation or event; an opinion
6. Repugnance (noun): intense disgust
7. Entrench (adjective): firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change
8. Transplant (verb): move or transfer something to another place or situation
9. a country on the West African coast
10. Haven (noun): a place of safety
11. a movement to end slavery
12. A “blight” refers to a disease or flaw.
13. Inflammatory (adjective): tending to arouse anger, hostility, passion
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"The Revolutionary Rise of Abolitionists", © 2016, CC By 4.0. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.