A Lecture On The Anti-Slavery Movement

 

 

                 There are four different types of anti-slavery principal divisions. The first one is the Garrisonians , or the American anti-slavery society. This division leaves it up to the slaves and their masters to fight their own battles. The second one is the anti-garrisonians, or the American and foreign anti-slavery society. "It does not aim to abolish the union, but aims to avail itself of the means afforded by the union to abolish slavery." The Anti-Slavery Movement: A Lecture by Frederick Douglass Before the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society by Frederick Douglass (Rochester, NY: Lee, Mann, and Co., 1855), pp. 3–4, 28–40, 44. The third one is the free soil party, or the political abolitionist. "It aims to limit and denationalize slavery, and to relieve the Federal Government from all responsibility for slavery." It's motto which is "Slavery Local-Liberty National." The fourth one is The Liberty party, or Gerrit Smith School of abolitionists. " It makes a clean sweep of slavery everywhere. It denies that slavery is, or can be legalized. It denies that the Constitution of the United States is a pro-slavery instrument, and asserts the power and duty of the Federal Government to abolish slavery in every State of the Union. Strictly speaking, I say this is the only party in the country which is an abolition party.…The Liberty Party, by its position and doctrines, and by its antecedents, is pledged to continue the struggle while a bondman in his chains remains to weep." The Anti-Slavery Movement: A Lecture by Frederick Douglass Before the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society by Frederick Douglass (Rochester, NY: Lee, Mann, and Co., 1855), pp. 3–4, 28–40, 44.

 

         From reading this article, I can tell that Frederick Douglas was a very smart man. He came from being a slave to an anti-slavery speaker. In this article he described the four different divisions of anti -slavery which I found very interesting. It is good to know that one of these divisions 'The liberty party' made the complete sweep of slavery everywhere. I was always taught that slavery was abolished in the North before it was abolished in the south. It seems like more people in the North had more sympathy for how these slaves were being treated by their masters than those in the South.

                                            The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription



          "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." "Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

                My understanding of this passage is that although all men are created equal, governments are institute among men. We are the ones who decides who we should place in the position of power. If there is ever a time where there's destruction, we have the right to replace the ones we place in power. I chose this passage because it was interesting to me to know that we the people have a lot of rights. Although we have a lot of  rights, these rights are often taken away from us. We live in a country that is suppose to make us feel safe and free, but that isn't always the case. They try to make us believe that we are indeed safe and free, showing us only part of the news on television. I believe that things would be a bit different if we were being told the full truth instead of part of the truth.