Prior to the 1830s, the antislavery movement was mainly concentrated in the upper South. At first abolitionist groups encouraged slave owners to release their slaves voluntarily; however, as the movement grew in popularity, abolitionist began to encourage colonization and other techniques in order to improve a slave’s quality of life. Within both techniques they hoped to persuade all slave owners to treat their property humanly, this would allow for the slave population to decrease. Therefore, by 1836, the abolitionists had radicalized the antislavery movement greatly, due to an increasing number of attacks on groups such as the American Colonization Society, growing revolutionary views, and labeling slavery as a moral issue. The colonization …show more content…
They began to argue that slavery was a sin because God would punish all those who abused his children because all men were created equal as human beings. Slavery was also viewed upon as a crime, due to the fact that it violated the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, ll which were promised within the preamble of the declaration of Independence (Doc F). William Lloyd Garrison,was a driving force within the abolitionist movement. He was known for his blunt words expressed in his newspaper, the Liberator and his rather politically incorrect actions, such as publicly burning a copy of the Constitution. He wrote: “The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead (Doc D).” Statements, such as these, only added to the fire of the movement, by criticizing the lack of concern the general public seemed to hold towards to mistreatment of slaves. He believed they should have been viewed like human beings, who had the the capability to love and