Growing Opposition To Slavery Dbq Research Paper

Slavery, the “peculiar institution” of the United States, has been a heated subject for many years. Even though slavery remained in some parts of the world, opposition to it grew. The leading argument was that slavery was immoral and that it violated the constitution. Three main reasons for opposition to slavery were social issues, the press, and political views.
Many social issues led to the opposition of slavery. The northern states had a growing opposition to slavery. Especially in Pennsylvania, the quaker population led to an early emancipation because of their religious views. In document A, a map shows the division among the slave states and the free states. It is seen that the northern states have a growing opposition because of the

The american revolution made thoughts of equality arise. In document B, it showcases a court case in which Massachusetts upheld the abolition of slavery. This is an example of how state governments, instead of national governments, were emancipating. Many whites were angry about the growing black’s freedom. However, colonization was a way for critics to oppose slavery, as seen in document D. The American Colonization Society presented a petition to congress to abolish slavery. The American Colonization Society provided financial support for buying slave’s freedom. Many critics relied on the Declaration of Independence to justify that slavery was wrong. One of them being William Garrison, Document E. He said people will do whatever it takes to rid slavery. Garrison was a radical abolitionist, publisher of the Liberator, a critic of the constitution for condoning slavery, and the founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Members of congress began speaking on behalf of the slaves. David Wilmot argued that new territories should remain free of slavery. Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso which proposed an american law to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican war. This law was