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First National Negro Convention convenes in Philadelphia
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First issue of The Liberator
Published by William Lloyd Garrison of Boston, The Liberator was the most famous of the anti-slavery newspapers. -
Period: to
Nat Turner's Rebellion
A bloody revolution of the enslaved Virginians of Southampton County. -
Period: to
The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society
Led by the famous abolitionist and women's rights activist Lucretia Mott. -
Slavery is abolished in British colonies
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"Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States (1836)"
Written by Sarah Grimke, this letter marked their official recognition by the public sphere. Previously Sarah and her sister Angelina had only lectured to audiences of women. Both sisters later became ardent feminists.
Exact date is unknown. -
First Antislavery Convention of American Women
An inter-racial association of various female antislavery groups. It became the first independent women's political organization. -
Pennsylvania Constitution amendment disenfranchises blacks
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Abolitionists form the Liberty Party
First announced in November 1839 and first gathered in Warsaw, New York. -
Pope Gregory XVI writes apostolic letter condemning slave trade
Its disputed as to whether he was condemning colonial slavery itself or just the slave trade. -
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass' first and most well-known autobiography, this particular book launched the public career of the most notable black American antislavery spokesman of the 19th century. -
The Women's Rights Convention is held at Seneca Falls
Commonly known as the Seneca Convention, this convention was planned as a reaction to the refusal to let women sit in or speak at the Antislavery Convention in London, held the previous year. It was the first Women's Rights Convention. -
Free Soil Party was Organized
A short-lived but influential party focused on the prevention of the spread of slavery into the undecided western colonies. Exact date of meeting unknown -
Slavery is abolished in all French territories
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The Fugitive Slave Law is passed
Included in the Compromise of 1850. Requires all citizens to help in the recovery of fugitive slaves.