Abolishing Slavery In The Antebellum Era

The Antebellum Years The Antebellum years were the four decades before the Civil War which abolished slavery. There were many forces and ideas that motivated and inspired the effort to reform the American Society. Some forces and ideas were: creating equality among races, women’s rights ,and religious revivals. These were all parts to ameliorate American Society. Creating equality by abolishing slavery was a major idea in reforming America’s society. Creating equality would eliminate conflict between the people. William Lloyd Garrison made a statement about anti-slavery in, To The Public (1831). Garrison states, ”Assenting to the "self-evident truth" maintained in the American Declaration of Independence, "that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights -- among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I shall strenuously contend for the immediate enfranchisement of our slave population.” Garrison and many other people were strong believers of the emancipation of enslaved people. He understood all men deserved the inalienable right of freedom and the right to vote.

Sojourner Truth made an opinionated statement about women’s rights in her speech, Speech Given at Women’s rights Convention (1853). Truth states “But we'll have our rights; see if we don't: and you can't stop us from them; see if you can. You may hiss as much as you like, but it is comin'. Women don't get half a much rights as they ought to; we want more, and we will have it.” Truth believed that women were intended to be equals with men. She demanded that women receive equal rights. Sojourner Truth and many other women protested about this so that women would get the rights they deserved. This would help reform the society by equalizing the