The Abolitionist Movement in the United States was integral in bringing light to the atrocities of chattel slavery in the 1800s. The movement’s goal was to liberate the enslaved and make slavery illegal across the entire country. Notable leaders in the Abolitionist Movement were Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman, among various others who were outspoken in their views against enslavement.
This era in the United States is undoubtedly one of the darkest in the nation’s history. From brutality to dehumanization, slavery was a shameful practice that various states and countries abolished before it was outlawed nationwide.
The Abolitionist Movement of the 1800s came to an end in 1865 when the Union won the Civil War over the confederacy and the 13th Amendment was ratified in the Constitution, which made enslavement illegal, (except in the case of punishment.) The Abolitionist Movement accomplished its centuries long goal of ending the institution of slavery in the United States.
Today the Abolitionist Movement continues in its mission towards liberation for all. The movement has evolved to center around law enforcement, mass incarceration, and human trafficking—all inextricably linked to the era of enslavement. While the goals have changed, the basic premise remains: No one is free until every one of us is free.
