This French poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery.

Abolitionism was a political movement that sought to abolish the practice of slavery and the worldwide slave trade. It began during the period of the Enlightenment and grew to large proportions in several nations during the 19th century, largely succeeding in its goals. Slave ship poster, from http://www. ... Slave ship poster, from http://www. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Age of Enlightenment refers to either the eighteenth century in European philosophy, or the longer period including the seventeenth century and the Age of Reason. ...

Abolitionism in Britain and the British Empire

See also Abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. The Atlantic slave trade was the purchase of people in and transport from West Africa and Central Africa into slavery in the New World. ...

Slavery in Britain

The trade in slaves in England was made illegal in 1102, and the last form of enforced servitude (villeinage) had disappeared in Britain by the beginning of the 17th century. However, by the 18th century black slaves began to be brought into London and Edinburgh as personal servants. They were not bought or sold, and their legal status was unclear until 1772, when the case of a runaway slave named James Somerset forced a legal decision. The owner, Charles Steuart, had attempted to abduct him and send him to Jamaica to work on the sugar plantations. While in London Somerset had been baptised and his godparents issued a writ of habeas corpus. As a result Lord Chief Justice William Murray, Lord Mansfield, of the Court of King's Bench had to judge whether the abduction was legal or not under English Common Law as there was no legislation for slavery in England. In his judgement of 22 June 1772 he declared: "Whatever inconveniences, therefore, may follow from a decision, I cannot say this case is allowed or approved by the law of England; and therefore the black must be discharged." It was thus declared that the condition of slavery did not exist under English law. This judgement emancipated the 10 to 14 thousand slaves in England and also laid down that slavery contracted in other jurisdictions (such as the American colonies) could not be enforced in England.^[1] A villein is, in the feudal system, a member of the class of serfs tied to the land, distinguished from those in actual slavery, but restricted by law from exercising the rights of a free man. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... James Somersett or Somerset was a slave who was brought by his owner from Virginia to England. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ... For other uses, see Habeas corpus (disambiguation). ... The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales was, historically, the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor. ... William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (March 2, 1705 - March 20, 1793), was a British judge and politician who reached high office in the House of Lords. ... One of the ancient courts of England, the Kings Bench (or Queens Bench when the monarch is female) is now a division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ...

After reading of the Somerset case, a black slave in Scotland, Joseph Knight, left his master, John Wedderburn. A similar case to Steuart's was brought by Wedderburn in 1776, with the same result: that chattel slavery did not exist under the law of Scotland (nevertheless, there were native-born Scottish slaves until 1799, when coal miners previously kept in serfdom gained emancipation). Somersets or Sommersetts Case (R. v. ... Joseph Knight was a slave born in Africa and sold in Jamaica to a Scottish owner. ... Scots law (or Scottish law) is the law of Scotland. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

First steps towards abolition

Despite the disappearance of slavery in Great Britain, in the American and West Indian colonies of the British Empire, slavery was a way of life. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

By 1783, an anti-slavery movement was beginning among the British public. Dr Beilby Porteus, Bishop of Chester and later Bishop of London, used the opportunity afforded by preaching the 1783 Anniversary sermon of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) at St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, London to issue a call to the Church of England to cease its involvement in the slave trade and to formulate a workable policy to draw attention to and improve the conditions of the Afro-Caribbean slaves on the society's plantations in Barbados. The same year, the first English abolitionist organisation was founded by a group of Quakers. The Quakers continued to be extremely influential throughout the lifetime of the movement, in many ways leading the way for the campaign. On June 17, 1783 the issue was formally brought to government by Sir Cecil Wray (Member of Parliament for Retford), who presented the Quaker petition to parliament. Rt Rev Beilby Porteus, DD, Bishop of London (May 8, 1731 _ May 13, 1809) was a leading evangelical churchman and abolitionist. ... Arms of the Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester heads the Anglican Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. ... Arms of the Bishop of London The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. ... Seal of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), formed in 1701, was a missionary organization of the Church of England. ... St Mary-le-Bow Church, built 1671-1680, one of Wrens City Churches built after the Great Fire of London Interior St Mary-le-Bow (Bow Church) is a historic church in the City of London, off Cheapside. ... A view of Cheapside published in 1837. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Afro-Caribbean may refer to: the British Afro-Caribbean community other members of the African diaspora in or from the Carribean This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... A sugarcane plantation at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2005 A plantation is a large tract of monoculture, as a tree plantation, a cotton plantation, a tea plantation or a tobacco plantation. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Retford is a market town in northeastern Nottinghamshire, England in the district of Bassetlaw. ...

But let's not forget the important part played by black people in the move towards abolition. For example, in Britain Olaudah Equiano, whose autobiography went into nine editions in his lifetime, campaigned tirelessly against the slave trade, and Frederick Douglas, a runaway slave, 'took England by storm' in 1845 (quoted from 'Roots of the Future', Commission for Racial Equality, 1996). Quidditchqueen 17:01, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The movement for abolition gains momentum

In May 1787, the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed, referring to the Atlantic slave trade, the trafficking in slaves by British merchants operating in West African British colonies and other Caribbean countries by means of the so-called Triangle trade. Influenced by James Ramsay, who had seen the cruelty of the trade at firsthand, Granville Sharp, Thomas Clarkson, and other members of the Clapham Sect of evangelical reformers were among the 12 committee members, most of whom were Quakers. Because they were Dissenters, Quakers were not eligible to become MPs, so William Wilberforce was persuaded to become the leader of the parliamentary campaign. Clarkson was the group's researcher who gathered vast amounts of information about the slave trade, gaining firsthand accounts by interviewing sailors and former slaves at British ports such as Bristol, Liverpool and London. The Atlantic slave trade was the purchase of people in and transport from West Africa and Central Africa into slavery in the New World. ... Merchants function as professional traders, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... World map depicting Caribbean: West Indies redirects here. ... A triangular trade is any three-way exchange, but the term is often used to refer to one particular instance: the 18th century trade between Europe, the west coast of Africa, and the Caribbean. ... James Ramsay (1733–1789) was a ship’s surgeon, Anglican minister and leading abolitionist. ... Granville Sharp (10 November 1735 - 6 July 1813) was an British campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade. ... Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 - 26 September 1846), born at Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England, was a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. ... The Clapham Sect was an influential group of like-minded social reformers in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century (active c. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, to disagree), labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. ... William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 - 29 July 1833) was an English parliamentarian and leader of the campaign against the slave trade. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... Bristol (IPA: ) is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London and located at With a population of 400,000, and metropolitan area of 550,000, it is Englands sixth, and the United Kingdoms ninth, most populous city... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Largely due to Clarkson's efforts, a network of local abolition groups was established across the country. They campaigned through public meetings, the publication of pamphlets and petitions. The movement had support from Quakers, Baptists, Methodists and others, and reached out for support from the new industrial workers of the cities in the midlands and north of England. Even women and children, previously un-politicised groups, became involved in the campaign. A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ... A petition is a request to an authority, most commonly a government official or public entity. ... Baptist churches are part of a Christian movement often regarded as an Evangelical, Protestant denomination. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ...

One particular project of the abolitionists was the establishment of Sierra Leone as a settlement for former slaves of the British Empire back in west Africa. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

In 1796, John Gabriel Stedman published the memoirs of his five-year voyage to Surinam as part of a military force sent out to subdue bosnegers, former slaves living in the inlands. The book is critical of the treatment of slaves and contains many images by William Blake and Francesco Bartolozzi depicting the cruel treatment of runaway slaves. It became part of a large body of abolitionist literature. John Gabriel Stedman (1747-1797) was a Scottish adventurer, son of a Scottish father and Dutch mother. ... It has been suggested that Cimaroons be merged into this article. ... William Blake in an 1807 portrait by Thomas Phillips William Blake (November 28, 1757–August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. ... Francesco Bartolozzi (1725-1815), Italian engraver, was born at Florence. ...

Slave Trade Act 1807

The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 25, 1807. The act imposed a fine of £100 for every slave found aboard a British ship. The intention was to entirely outlaw the slave trade within the British Empire, but the trade continued and captains in danger of being caught by the Royal Navy would often throw slaves into the sea to reduce the fine. In 1827, Britain declared that participation in the slave trade was piracy and punishable by death. The Slave Trade Act (citation ) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in 1807 the long title of which is An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Main article: Atlantic slave trade The act abolished the slave trade in the British empire. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1807 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered execution of a prisoner as a punishment for a serious crime, often called a capital offense or a capital crime. ...

Slavery Abolition Act 1833

After the 1807 act, slaves were still held, though not sold, within the British Empire. In the 1820s, the abolitionist movement again became active, this time campaigning against the institution of slavery itself. The Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1827. Many of the campaigners were those who had previously campaigned against the slave trade. The Anti-Slavery Society was founded in Britain in 1823. ...

On August 23, 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act outlawed slavery in the British colonies. On August 1, 1834, all slaves in the British Empire were emancipated, but still indentured to their former owners in an apprenticeship system which was finally abolished in 1838. £20 million was paid in compensation to plantation owners in the Caribbean. August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Slavery Abolition Act was an 1833 act of the British Parliament abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Black Codes were laws passed on the state and local level in the United States to restrict the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans, particularly former slaves. ... World map depicting Caribbean: West Indies redirects here. ...

Campaigning after the act

From 1839, the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society worked to outlaw slavery in other countries and to pressure the government to help enforce the suppression of the slave trade by declaring slave traders pirates and pursuing them. This organization continues today as Anti-Slavery International. The slave trade is almost as old as civilisation itself. ... Look up pirate and piracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Anti-Slavery International is a charity and lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. ...

Abolitionism in France

Further information: Colonialism

As in other "New World" colonies, the Atlantic slave trade provided the French colonies with manpower for the sugar cane plantations. The French West Indies included Anguilla (briefly), Antigua and Barbuda (briefly), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haïti, Montserrat (briefly), Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius (briefly), St Kitts and Nevis (St Kitts, but not Nevis), Trinidad and Tobago (Tobago only), Saint Croix (briefly), and the current French overseas départements of Martinique and Guadeloupe (including Saint-Barthélemy and northern half of Saint Martin)) in the Caribbean sea. See colony and colonisation for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism. ... The Atlantic slave trade was the purchase of people in and transport from West Africa and Central Africa into slavery in the New World. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... A sugarcane plantation at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2005 A plantation is a large tract of monoculture, as a tree plantation, a cotton plantation, a tea plantation or a tobacco plantation. ... The term French West Indies (see also Antilles françaises) refers to the two French overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique. ... Haiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola and the smaller islands of La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Grande Caye, and Ile a Vache in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; the Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti. ... Map showing location of Sint Eustatius relative to Saba and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin Sint Eustatius (also Saint Eustace and Statia) is one of the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of this territory, to the east of the Virgin Islands at... Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island nation in the Caribbean. ... Official language English Political status State in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis Premier Joseph Parry Deputy Governor-General[1] Eustace John President, Nevis Island Assembly Marjorie Morton Capital Charlestown, Nevis Area  - Total (Not ranked) 93 km² Population  - Density 12,106[2] (2006) 130/km² Airport  - Code  - Runway Vance... Castara village beach looking south, Tobago Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Saint Croix from space, January 1993 Saint Croix is one of the United States Virgin Islands, a United States territory, in the Caribbean. ... Under the 1946 Constitution of the Fourth Republic, the French colonies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana in the Caribbean and Réunion in the Indian Ocean became départements doutre-mer (Overseas departments) or DOMs. ... Gustavia Harbor, St. ... St. ...

The slave trade was regulated by Louis XIV's Code Noir. The institution of slavery was first repealed following the Haïtian Revolution led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, which started in 1791. The rebels imposed to the First Republic (1792-1804) the repeal of slavery on February 4, 1794. The Abbé Grégoire and the Society of the Friends of the Blacks (Société des Amis des Noirs), led by Jacques Pierre Brissot, were part of the abolitionist movement, which had laid important groundwork in building anti-slavery sentiment in the metropole. The first article of the law stated that "Slavery was repealed" in the French colonies, while the second article stated that "slave-owners would be indemnified", with a financial compensation. On May 10, 1802, colonel Delgrès signed a public notice, which was a call to Guadeloupe for insurgency against general Richepanse, sent by Napoleon to reestablish slavery. The rebellion was repressed, and slavery reestablished. Then, on April 27, 1848, under the Second Republic (1848-52), the decree-law Schœlcher repealed once again slavery. Slaves were bought back to the colons (Békés in Creole) and then freed by the state. At the same time, France started colonizing Africa, transferring the population to the mines, the forestry and rubber plantations. Louis XIV King of France and Navarre By Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701) Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638–September 1, 1715) reigned as King of France and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... The Code noir (French language: The Black Code), was a decree passed by Frances King Louis XIV in 1689. ... The Haïtian Revolution (1791-1804) was the most successful of the many African slave rebellions in the Western Hemisphere and established Haïti as a free, black republic, the first of its kind. ... François-Dominique Toussaint LOuverture François-Dominique Toussaint LOuverture, also Toussaint Bréda, Toussaint-Louverture (c. ... The French people proclaimed Frances First Republic on 21 September 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and of the abolition of the French monarchy. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Henri Grégoire Henri Grégoire (December 4, 1750-May 20, 1831), generally known in French as abbé Grégoire, was a French Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary leader and constitutional bishop of Blois. ... The Society of the Friends of the Blacks (French: Société des amis des Noirs or Amis des noirs) was a group of French men, mostly white, which were abolitionists (opponents of Black slavery and the African slave trade). ... Jacques Pierre Brissot. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... --69. ... Louis Delgrès was a mulatto leader of the movement in Guadeloupe resisting reoccupation (and thus the reinstitution of slavery) by Napoleonic France. ... An insurgency is an armed revolt or insurrection against an established civil or political authority, such as a constituted government or an occupation by an invading force. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The French Second Republic (often simply Second Republic) was the republican regime of France from February 25, 1848 to December 2, 1852. ... Decree is an order by a head of state or government that has the force of law. ... Victor Schoelcher (1804-1893) was a French abolitionist writer in the 1800s and the main spokesman for a group from Paris who worked for the abolition of slavery, and formed an abolition society in 1834. ... This article is about the town. ... // A creole language, or just creole, is a well-defined and stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many distinctive features that are not inherited from either parent. ... Population transfer is a term referring to a policy by which a state, or international authority, forces the movement of a large group of people out of a region, most frequently on the basis of their ethnicity or religion. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ...

Debates about the value of colonialism continue to this day. On May 10, 2001, the Taubira law officially recognized slavery and the Atlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity. Between various propositions, May 10 was finally chosen as day dedicated to the recognition of the crime of slavery. Anti-colonialist activists also want the African Liberation Day to be recognized by the Republic. Although slavery was recognized by this law, four years later, the vote of the February 23, 2005 law by the conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), asking teachers and textbooks to "acknowledge and recognize in particular the positive role of the French presence abroad, especially in North Africa", was met with public uproar and accusations of historic revisionism, both inside France and abroad. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, president of Algeria, refused to sign the envisioned "friendly treaty" with France because of this law. Famous writer Aimé Césaire, leader of the Négritude movement, also refused to meet UMP leader Nicolas Sarkozy, leading the later to cancel his visit to Martinique. The controversial law was finally repealed by president Jacques Chirac (UMP) at the beginning of 2006. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Christiane Taubira (February 2, 1952, Cayenne, French Guiana -) is a French politician. ... A crime against humanity is a term in international law that refers to acts of murderous persecution against a body of people, as being the criminal offence above all others. ... On April 15, 1958, in the city of Accra, Ghana, African leaders and political activists gathered at the first Conference of Independent African States. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire), initially named the Union for the Presidential Majority (Union pour la Majorité Présidentielle), and more usually known from its French acronym as simply the UMP, is the main French conservative political party of the right-wing. ... Historical revisionism is the attempt to change commonly held ideas about the past. ... Abdelaziz Bouteflika (عبد العزيز بوتفليقة) (born March 2, 1937) is the President of Algeria (since 1999). ... Aimé Fernand David Césaire (born June 20, 1913) is a Martinican author and politician. ... Négritude is a literary and political movement developed in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and Léon Damas. ... Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born 28 January 1955 in Paris, 17th arrondissement), simply known as Nicolas Sarkozy ( — ), is a French politician born of a Hungarian father and French mother, often nicknamed Sarko. ... Jacques René Chirac (born 29 November 1932 in Paris) is a French politician and the current President of the French Republic. ...

Abolitionism in Romania

The slavery of the Rroma (Gypsies), which lasted for over five centruries, was abolished in Romania between 1843 and 1855. Over a quarter of a million slaves were liberated, most of which left for Western Europe and North America.

Abolitionism in Russia

In the 15th -17th centuries (1450-1725) Imperial Russia had a complicated system of slavery, including hereditary slavery and "limited service contract slavery." Under the latter system, when living conditions were bad a man might sell himself and his family to an owner for one year for a loan. Failure to repay the loan meant hereditary slavery. Peter the Great abolished the slavery, but serfdom remained.^[2] Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

The condition of the serfs deteriorated after 1720, reaching a low point around 1800. The serfs were technically not slaves, since they could not be bought or sold. However, they were locked to a specific piece of land and were under the firm control of the landowners. Household serfs were kept under the constant and complete control of their masters, and their condition could barely be distinguished from slavery. The Russian emancipation of the serfs on March 3, 1861 by Tsar Alexander II of Russia abolished the system.^[3] Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ... The Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia performed by tsar Alexander II of Russia amounted to liquidation of serf dependence of Russian peasants. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Alexander (Aleksandr) II Nikolaevitch (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (born April 17, 1818 in Moscow; died March 13, 1881 in St. ...

Abolitionism in United States

Gradual Abolition

The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society, formed April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, primarily by Quakers who had a strong religious objection. It ceased to operate during the Revolution and the British occupation of Philadelphia; it was reorganized in 1784, with Benjamin Franklin as first president.^[4] Benjamin Rush was a leader, as were many Quakers. African Slavery in America was one of the earliest calls for abolition; it appeared in the Pennsylvania Magazine and some scholars believe Thomas Paine wrote it. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society, formed April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1775 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ... Dr. Benjamin Rush painted by Charles Wilson Peale, 1783 Dr. Benjamin Rush (December 24, 1745–April 19, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Abolition in northern states

The Revolution set in motion actions in every state to abolish slavery. This succeeded in every northern state by 1804; although the emancipation was so gradual that there were still a dozen "permanent apprentices" in the 1860 census. The principal organized bodies to advocate this reform were the Society of Friends, the Pennsylvania Antislavery Society, and the New York Manumission Society. The latter was headed by powerful Federalist politicians, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and republican Aaron Burr. Thanks to the considerable efforts of the NYMS, New York abolished slavery (gradually) in 1799. In terms of numbers of slaves, this was the largest emancipation in American history (before 1863). New Jersey in 1804 was the last northern state to abolish slavery (again in gradual fashion). At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, however, agreement was reached that allowed the Federal government to abolish the international slave trade in 1808, which it did. By then all the states had passed individual laws abolishing or severely limiting the trade, all but Georgia by 1798.^[5] The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, writer, and ajurist. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 — July 12, 1804) was an American politician, leading statesman, financier, intellectual, military officer, and founder of the Federalist Party. ... Aaron Burr, Jr. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... ...

Colonization to Liberia

In the 1820s and 1830s the American Colonization Society was the main vehicle for proposals to eventually do away with slavery. It had broad support nationwide, with leaders like Henry Clay. It created an American colony in Africa, Liberia and assisted thousands of blacks (both ex slaves and free people) to move there. The disease environment was extreme, and most of the migrants died quickly, but enough survived to rule Liberia into the 1980s. African Americans lost interest in the venture, as abolitionists influenced by Garrison denounced it after 1840. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia, USA – June 29, 1852 in Washington, D.C.) was a leading American statesman and orator who served in both the House of Representatives and Senate. ...

Garrison and immediate emancipation

A radical shift came in the 1830s, led by William Lloyd Garrison, who demanded "immediate emancipation, gradually achieved.". That is he demanded that slave-owners repent immediately, and set up a system of emancipation. After 1840 "abolition" usually referred to positions like Garrison's; it was largely an ideological movement led by about 3000 people, including freed blacks. Abolitionism had a strong religious base including Quakers, and (among Yankees) people converted by the revivalist fervor of the Second Great Awakening in the North in the 1830s. Belief in abolition contributed to the breaking away of some small denominations, such as the Free Methodist Church. William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 12, 1805–May 24, 1879) was a prominent United States abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. ... The term Yankee has a variety of meanings. ... The Second Great Awakening was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of several kinds of activity, distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. ... The Free Methodist Church is a denomination of Methodism, which is a branch of Protestantism. ...

Evangelical abolitionists founded some colleges, most notably Bates College in Maine and Oberlin College in Ohio. The well established colleges, such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton, generally opposed abolition^{[citation needed]}, although the movement did attract such figures as Yale president Noah Porter and Harvard president Thomas Hill. The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative Christianity. ... For other uses, see Bates (disambiguation), Bates (surname) Bates College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1855, located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Oberlin College is a small, selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, in the United States. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Harvard redirects here. ... Yale redirects here. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... Noah Porter (December 14, 1811 - March 14, 1892), American educationalist and philosophical writer, was born in Farmington, Connecticut. ... Thomas Hill (1818 - 1891) was an American clergyman and educator. ...

In the North most opponents of slavery supported other modernizing reform movements such as the temperance movement, public schooling, and prison- and asylum-building. They split bitterly on the role of women's activism. A cartoon from Australia ca. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with State school. ...

Daniel O'Connell, the Roman Catholic leader of the Irish in Ireland, supported the abolition of slavery in the British Empire and in America. O'Connell had played a leading role in securing Catholic Emancipation (the removal of the civil and political disabilities of Roman Catholics in Great Britain and Ireland) and he was one of William Lloyd Garrison's models. Garrison recruited him to the cause of American abolitionism and O'Connell, the black abolitionist Charles Lenox Remond, and Theobold Mayhew, the temperance priest, organized a petition with 60,000 signatures urging the Irish of America to support abolition. O'Connell also spoke in America for abolition. Daniel OConnell Daniel OConnell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), known as The Liberator or The Emancipator, was Irelands predominant political leader in the first half of the nineteenth century who championed the cause of the down-trodden catholic population. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Catholic Emancipation was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the Penal Laws. ... William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 12, 1805–May 24, 1879) was a prominent United States abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. ... Charles Lenox Remond (1810-1882) was an African-American abolitionist who was born free in Salem, Massachusetts. ...

Nevertheless, the Repeal Associations in the United States largely took a proslavery position. Several reasons have been suggested for this: that the Irish, who were in any case competing with blacks for jobs, disliked having the same arguments used for Irish and for black freedom; that they were loyal to the United States Constitution, which defended their liberties, and disliked the fundamentally extraconstitutional position of the Abolitionists, and that they perceived abolitionism as Protestant. In addition, the slaveholders had no hesitation in voicing support for the freedom of Ireland, a white nation outside the United States. Daniel OConnell set up the Repeal Association in 1840 to campaign for the Repeal of the Act of Union. ... The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

Radical Irish nationalists - those who broke with O'Connell over his refusal to contemplate the violent overthrow of British rule in Ireland - had a diversity of views about slavery. John Mitchel, who spent the years 1853 to 1875 in America, was a passionate propagandist slavery; three of his sons fought in the Confederate Army. On the other hand, his former close associate Thomas Francis Meagher served as a Brigadier General in the United States Army during the American Civil War. John Mitchel John Mitchel (November 3, 1815 – March 20, 1875) was an Irish nationalist activist and political journalist, and also became a public voice for the pro-slavery viewpoint in the United States in the 1850s and 1860s before ending up elected to the British House of Commons, only to... Some Confederate soldiers The Confederate States Army (CSA) was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been formed that same year when seven southern states seceded from the United States (with four more to follow). ... Thomas Francis Meagher aka: OMeagher, or Meagher of the Sword (August 3, 1823 – July 1, 1867) was an Irish revolutionary, who also served in the United States Army as a Brigadier General during the U.S. Civil War. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

The Roman Catholic church in America was centered in slaveholding Maryland, and, despite a firm stand for the spiritual equality of blacks, supported slavery. The Bishop of New York denounced O'Connell's petition as a forgery, and if genuine, unwarranted foreign interference; the Bishop of Charleston declared that, while Catholic tradition opposed slave trading, it had nothing against slavery. No American bishop supported abolition before the Civil War; even while that war went on, they freely communicated with slave-owners. One historian observed that ritualist churches separate themselves from heretics rather than sinners; he observes the same acceptance of slavery among the Episcopalians and the Lutherans. (Indeed, one Episcopal bishop was a Confederate general.)^[6]

After O'Connell's failure, the American Repeal Associations broke up; but the Garrisonians rarely relapsed into the "bitter hostility" of American Protestants towards the Roman Church. Some antislavery men joined the Know Nothings, in the collapse of the parties; but Edmund Quincy ridiculed it as a mushroom growth, a distraction from the real issues; and although the Know-Nothing legislature of Massachusetts honored Garrison, he continued to oppose them as violators of fundamental rights to freedom of worship. The Know-Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1850s. ...

Even the evangelical Protestants William Lloyd Garrison and John Brown, however, regarded the United States Declaration of Independence as being as important as the Bible. In 1854, Garrison wrote: William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 12, 1805–May 24, 1879) was a prominent United States abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. ... // Persons Johnny B. is the name of: Scotsmen John Brown (clergyman) (1784–1858), a Scottish clergyman and writer John Brown (doctor) (1735–1788), a Scottish physician who developed his own medical “system” John Brown (essayist) (1715–1766), a Scottish clergyman and essayist John Brown (footballer), football (soccer) player for Rangers... United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the 13 states (formerly the Thirteen Colonies) in North America declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. ...

I am a believer in that portion of the Declaration of American Independence in which it is set forth, as among self-evident truths, "that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Hence, I am an abolitionist. Hence, I cannot but regard oppression in every form – and most of all, that which turns a man into a thing – with indignation and abhorrence. Not to cherish these feelings would be recreancy to principle. They who desire me to be dumb on the subject of slavery, unless I will open my mouth in its defense, ask me to give the lie to my professions, to degrade my manhood, and to stain my soul. I will not be a liar, a poltroon, or a hypocrite, to accommodate any party, to gratify any sect, to escape any odium or peril, to save any interest, to preserve any institution, or to promote any object. Convince me that one man may rightfully make another man his slave, and I will no longer subscribe to the Declaration of Independence. Convince me that liberty is not the inalienable birthright of every human being, of whatever complexion or clime, and I will give that instrument to the consuming fire. I do not know how to espouse freedom and slavery together.^[7]

History of American abolition

In detail: Origins of the American Civil War, History of slavery in the United States

Although there were several groups that opposed slavery (such as The Society for the Relief of Free American Black People Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage), at the time of the founding of the Republic, there were few states which prohibited slavery outright. The Constitution had several provisions which accommodated slavery, although none used the word. The battle of Fort Sumter was the first stage in a conflict that had been brewing for decades. ... Slave sale in Easton, Maryland The history of slavery in the United States began soon after Europeans first settled in what in 1776 became the United States. ... The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society, formed April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

All of the states north of Maryland began to gradually abolish slavery between 1781 and 1804; all the states abolished or severely limited the slave trade, Rhode Island in 1774 (Virginia had also attempted to do so before the Revolution, but the Privy Council had vetoed the act), all the others by 1786, Georgia in 1798. These northern emancipation acts typically provided that slaves born before the law was passed would be freed at a certain age, and so remnants of slavery lingered; in New Jersey, a dozen "permanent apprentices" were recorded in the 1860 census. The first state to abolish slavery outright was Massachusetts, where a court decision in 1781 interpreted the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 (which asserted in its first article, All men are created free and equal...) as an abolition of slavery. This was later explicitly codified in a new version of the Massachusetts Constitution written by John Adams.^[8] Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,417 sq mi (32,160 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37°53N to 39°43N  - Longitude 75°4W to 79°33... Official language(s) None Capital Providence Largest city Providence Area  Ranked 50th  - Total 1,214* sq mi (3,144* km²)  - Width 37 miles (60 km)  - Length 48 miles (77 km)  - % water 32. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. ... John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Father of the United States and American politician who served as the first Vice President of the United States (1789–1797), and the second President of the United States (1797–1801). ...

The institution remained solid in the South, however, and that region's customs and social beliefs evolved into a strident defense of slavery in response to the rise of a stronger anti-slavery stance in the North. The anti-slavery sentiment, which existed before 1830 among many people in the North, was joined after 1840 by the vocal few of the abolitionist movement. The majority of Northerners rejected the extreme positions of the abolitionists; Abraham Lincoln, for example. Indeed many northern leaders including Lincoln, Stephen Douglas (the Democratic nominee in 1860), John C. Fremont (the Republican nominee in 1856), and Ulysses S. Grant married into slaveowning southern families without any moral qualms. Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 - June 3, 1861), American politician from Illinois, was one of the Democratic Party nominees for President in 1860 (the other being John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky). ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813-July 13, 1890), birth name John Charles Fremon [Harvey, p. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and politician who was elected the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...

Abolitionism as a principle was far more than just the wish to limit the extent of slavery. Most Northerners recognized that slavery existed in the South and the Constitution did not allow the federal government to intervene there. Most Northerners favored a policy of gradual and compensated emancipation. After 1849 abolitionists rejected this and demanded it end immediately and everywhere. John Brown was the only abolitionist known to have actually planned a violent insurrection, thought David Walker promoted the idea. The abolitionist movement was strengthened by the activities of free African-Americans, especially in the black church, who argued that the old Biblical justifications for slavery contradicted the New Testament. African-American activists and their writings were rarely heard outside the black community; however, they were tremendously influential to some sympathetic whites, most prominently the first white activist to reach prominence, William Lloyd Garrison, who was its most effective propagandist. Garrison's efforts to recruit eloquent spokesmen led to the discovery of ex-slave Frederick Douglass, who eventually became a prominent activist in his own right. Eventually, Douglass would publish his own, widely distributed abolitionist newspaper, the North Star. John Brown John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist, the first white abolitionist to advocate and to practice guerrilla warfare as a means to the abolition of slavery. ... For other people named David Walker, see David Walker (disambiguation). ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 12, 1805–May 24, 1879) was a prominent United States abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. ... Frederick Douglass, ca. ... The North Star was an abolitionist newspaper founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York. ...

In the early 1850s, the American abolitionist movement split into two camps over the issue of the United States Constitution. This issue arose in the late 1840s after the publication of The Unconstitutionality of Slavery by Lysander Spooner. The Garrisonians, led by Garrison and Wendell Phillips, publicly burned copies of the Constitution, called it a pact with slavery, and demanded its abolition and replacement. Another camp, led by Lysander Spooner, Gerrit Smith, and eventually Douglass, considered the Constitution to be an antislavery document. Using an argument based upon Natural Law and a form of social contract theory, they said that slavery existed outside of the Constitution's scope of legitimate authority and therefore should be abolished. The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... Lysander Spooner (January 19, 1808 – May 14, 1887) was an American individualist anarchist political philosopher, abolitionist, and legal theorist of the 19th century. ... Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (29 November 1811 - 2 February 1884), born in Boston, Massachusetts, was an American abolitionist, Native American advocate and orator. ... Lysander Spooner (January 19, 1808 – May 14, 1887) was an American individualist anarchist political philosopher, abolitionist, and legal theorist of the 19th century. ... Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), was a United States reformer, abolitionist, politician, and philanthropist. ... It has been suggested that Law of nature (precept) be merged into this article or section. ... Social contract theory (or contractarianism) is a concept used in philosophy, political science, and sociology to denote an implicit agreement within a state regarding the rights and responsibilities of the state and its citizens, or more generally a similar concord between a group and its members, or between individuals. ...

Another split in the abolitionist movement was along class lines. The artisan republicanism of Robert Dale Owen and Frances Wright stood in stark contrast to the politics of prominent elite abolitionists such as industrialist Arthur Tappan and his evangelist brother Lewis. While the former pair opposed slavery on a basis of solidarity of "wage slaves" with "chattel slaves", the Whiggish Tappans strongly rejected this view, opposing the characterization of Northern workers as "slaves" in any sense. (Lott, 129-130) Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Robert Dale Owen (November 7, 1801–June 24, 1877) was a longtime exponent in his adopted United States of the socialist doctrines of his father, the Welshman Robert Owen, as well as a politician in the Democratic Party. ... Frances Wright (1795-1852) was a lecturer who grew up in London and toured the United States from 1818 to 1820. ... Arthur Tappan (May 22, 1786 - July 23, 1865) was an American abolitionist. ... Lewis Tappan (1788 - 1873) created the first viable credit rating agency in America. ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ...

Many American abolitionists took an active role in opposing slavery by supporting the Underground Railroad. This was made illegal by the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, but participants like Harriet Tubman, Henry Highland Garnet, Alexander Crummell, Amos Noë Freeman and others continued regardless with the final destination for slaves moved to Canada. Two landmark events for the movement were the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An April 24, 1851 poster warning colored people in Boston about policemen acting as slave catchers. ... Harriet Tubman in 1880 Harriet Tubman (c. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alexander Crummell (1819-10 September 1898) was an African American Episcopalian priest, missionary, and teacher. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The ‘’’Oberlin-Wellington Rescue’’’ was a landmark event in the Abolitionist movement before the American Civil War. ... John Brown John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist, the first white abolitionist to advocate and to practice guerrilla warfare as a means to the abolition of slavery. ... Harpers Ferry is the name of several places in the United States of America: Harpers Ferry, Iowa Harpers Ferry, West Virginia There was also John Browns raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia as well as a Battle of Harpers Ferry in the American Civil War. ...

After the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, abolitionists continued to pursue the freedom of slaves in the remaining slave states, and to better the conditions of black Americans generally. The passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 officially ended slavery. See Reconstruction for details. The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential order in 1863 that freed most (but not all) of the slaves in the United States. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... A slave state is a U.S. State that had legal slavery (overwhelmingly the enslavement of African-Americans, although historically also the enslavement of Native Americans, and Whites through indentured servitude) in the period leading up to the American Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. ... The Thirteenth Amendment may refer to the: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - outlaws slavery. ... // Reconstruction was the period in United States history, 1865–1876, that attempted to resolve the issues of the American Civil War when both the Confederacy and its system of slavery were destroyed. ...

National abolition dates