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The society was founded by Henry Clay and several other men. There goal was to send freed slaves back to Africa where the freemen would bring the blessing of Liberty and Christianity to other members of their race. This had a wide appeal to white americans who wanted to abolish slavery gradually and avoid integrating free blacks into their community. However, they were never able to gather enough money, and as a result, only had a few hundred free slaves sent out of the United States.
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The movement officially emerged around 1830. It was an organized effort to end the practice of slavery in the U.S. Additionally, it caused friction between the North and the slave-owning South. Critics of abolition argued that the movement contradicted the U.S. Constitution, which said slavery was an option left to individual states.
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The Underground Railroad was a network of people offering shelter and aid to escaped slaves from the South. The earliest mention of this system was in 1831. Slave Tice Davids escaped from Kentucky into Ohio, and his owner blamed an "underground railroad" for assisting in Davids' freedom. As more and more slaves escaped to freedom, tensions grew in the south.
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Nat Turner offered to help several other men rebel. As a result, Turner and his group murdered their master and his family. By the afternoon, 60 slaves were apart of the revolt. They continued to kill and challenge members of the white posse. In the aftermath, about 60 slaves were executed. Turner hid in a hole for a month before he was discovered. He was brought to trial and hung a week later. Turner's story is a perfect example of what happens when individuals' hate becomes too much to handle.
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In 1837 a pro-slavery mob attacked a warehouse in Alton Illinois. They were trying to destroy abolitionist press materials. In the process of the attack, they shot and killed newspaper editor and abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy. Both sides of the conflict revolted and attacked one another. This only increased the tension between the North and the South.
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In April of 1846 Dred and Harriet filed separate lawsuits for freedom in the St. Louis Circuit Court. Then, in November 1853 Scott filed a federal lawsuit, and in December 1854 Scott appealed his case to the United States Supreme Court. The trial took place February 11, 1856. Finally, on March 6, 1857 Scott lost his fight for freedom. This angered abolitionists, and it gave momentum to the anti-slavery movement.
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Harriet Tubman was the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad. She helped guide fugitive slaves to hiding spots for about 10 years. In 1849 she escaped slavery from a plantation in Maryland. Later, she returned to try to rescue her other family members from the plantation. Her husband refused to go with her, so in her distraught state she said she had seen a vision of God. Soon after, she began conducting for the Underground Railroad.
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This was the most controversial of all the bills that were in the compromise of 1850, and it was passed to mollify pro-slavery states. Citizens were required to aid in the recovery of fugitive slaves. Additionally, the bill stated fugitives had no right to a jury trial. Instead it was handled by special commissioners who got paid $5 if they released the fugitive, and $10 if they were returned to slavery. This made the federal government responsible for enforcing slavery beyond the South.
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The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beacher Stowe was published on June 5, 1851. She wrote it as a reaction to the recent fugitive slave laws. It majorly influenced the way the American public viewed slavery, and it was very controversial. The novel greatly strengthened Northern abolitionism, and many northerners realized how unjust slavery was for the first time. Since opposition to slavery only increased, Southern slave owners worked even harder to defend the institution.
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The decision of Scott's case ruled that slaves had no right to file suit in a United States court, and that slaves were not considered citizens. Basically, it denied African Americans the rights of national citizenship. The outcome enraged abolitionists because they saw the decision as a way to stop debate about slavery in the territories. The divide between the North and South over slavery continued to grow.
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Just before the outbreak of the Civil War there were many revolts. In 1859 on the plantation in Mississippi of former President James K. Polk, his widow watched as armed slaves barricaded themselves in protest. These types of protests continued throughout the time that led up to the Civil War.
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In 1861 a group of slaves in Adams County, Mississippi tried to time an uprising with the arrival of Union troops. However, word got out about the uprising, and as a result, 40 slaves were executed. The slaves were feeling heartened by the attack on Fort Sumner, and their emotions caused them to revolt. The tensions over slavery continued to rise as more and more revolts took place.
