1776 To 1852

Throughout 1776 to 1852 the ever-changing United States was in the process of developing increasingly deeper and stronger attitudes toward the abolishment of slavery. In no other years, but those between 1776 to pre-Civil War, had the United States been as nearly determined to eradicate slavery. There were numerous reasons behind the need to put an end to slavery, some derived from the ideals of the Revolutionary War, the Second Great Awakening, Antebellum Reform Period, and Manifest Destiny. The Revolutionary War took place in order for Americans to gain independence from the British, and it not only fought for freedom, but also equality—one of the leading justifications for abolition. Moreover, the first Europeans came to America for religious

Additionally, expansion and geography played a significant role in abolitionist endeavors. The thirst to expand American borders stretching from the Atlantic to Pacific aided in climaxing the tension between those who wanted the new land acquired as free states and those who wanted slave states. With the majority of states north of the Mason-Dixon Line pressing for the abolition of slaves and the states south of the line urging to allow slavery to spread west, the sectional divide caused for a strong opposition to slavery. Therefore, the driving forces for abolition came from religious reasons, expansion and geography, and ideas of equality.

To begin, religion and faith were the foundations for the increasing denunciation of slavery. If instead of the argument for equality being used for the abolition movement, religion was in its place. The pilgrims first came to America for religious freedom, beginning in the Northern colonies which were heavily religious and also happened to be where abolition was the strongest as well the region in which early abolishment began. Further, the United States underwent two great awakenings, in which

Early abolition grew out of the upper northeast, starting with Vermont being the first state that abolished slavery in 1777. Other states located around Vermont followed suit soon after, and the Northwest Territory (what today is Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio) prohibited slavery as a part of the Northwest Ordinance. Furthermore, the Missouri Compromise is part of the explanation for the rise of the opposition to slavery as the 36° 30’ line split the United States between slaveholders in the South and abolitionists in the North. Slavery, however, was not only limited to the South as some people living in the Northern States supported it, and some Southerners refused it. Regardless, the lesser use of slaves in the North was partially due to the different type of soil there, which supports why abolishment feelings were passionate. In the South, the soil was fertile and excellent for growing a wide variety of crops and had long growing seasons; in the North, the soil was rocky and the growing season was shorter. As one can tell from this, slaves were more of a necessity in the South due to their high importance for working the land and not as much in the North because the land did not require the same amount of rigorous slave labor. (Document A) Moreover, at the end of the Manifest Destiny era, the United States succeeded in achieving its goal of dominating North