The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage to forcibly remove African families from their homes. Slavery did not only exist in the United States but also played a major role in Canadian history as well. However, not everyone supported slavery. Many opposed slavery and risked their own lives to fight for the freedom of African Americans in North America. These individuals were known as abolitionists. Being an abolitionist was frowned upon by others because most people either were pro-slavery or were too scared to say anything. Those who were brave enough were often ridiculed for their beliefs. Today I will discuse, I will be discussing the movement of abolitionists, the role of Harriet Tubman in the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement led by Frederick Douglass.
The abolitionists were people who were against slavery. Early abolitionists tried to abolish slavery in the 19th century. The American Colonization Society proposed freeing slaves and sending them back to Africa. Unfortunately, people from the opposing side did not want this to happen. President Abraham Lincoln was against slavery but was for black people and the black community. There are so many inspiring activists such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman who we now all look up to and appreciate. Now let’s talk about Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was not a railroad but a passage that led slaves in America to a more free Canada. Harriet Tubman is said to have saved 300 people from captivity. Unfortunately, Harriet was a slave herself. As a child, she worked as a slave in Auburn, New York. Life was certainly not easy but Harriet Tubman made a big impact. She was an amazing woman. Now let’s talk about another abolitionist who made a big impact on the abolitionist movement, His name was Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland as a slave. He escaped captivity on September 3, 1838. Once he was a free man, he became a leader in the abolitionist movement, which sought to end the practice of slavery, before and during the Civil War. He continued to push for equality and human rights until he died in 1895. Douglas wrote three autobiographies, and wrote an influential abolitionist newspaper that broke barriers for African Americans in government service. Frederick Douglass was introduced to the abolitionist movement in 1841 when William Coffin invited him to share his story. William Garrison was impressed by his story and hired him as an agent of the MAS. This was a turning point in Douglass’s life and the beginning of his abolitionist activities. Once in the abolitionist movement, he wrote about the injustice of slavery. Fredrick was a very important person who made a big impact on the abolitionist movement and even the entire world.
Now that brings us to our conclusion. In conclusion, the abolitionist movement was very important to the rights of people of colour in the past and sadly contributed to institutionalized racism in our modern society. Although we all still have work to do and the white communities around the world continue to learn and understand that equality is a basic human right, We all wouldn’t be here today if not for the abolitionists. The world is not perfect and it is so important to learn about the history of slavery so it doesn’t happen again. So be a better person and like Viola Desmond once said, “Do your little bit of good where you are.”
