Slavery and Abolitionists

Myth #1

All Southerners owned slaves.

Poll

About ____________ Southerners actually owned slaves.

• 1 out of 3

• Half

• 1 out of 4

Myth #2

Slavery was a long time ago.

Poll

Black Americans have been free for

• About 100 years

• About 150 years

• About 200 years

Slavery started in the United States in 1619 and ended in 1865.

Multiple Choice

Which 2 founding fathers were abolitionists?

• Benjamin Franklin & George Washington

• Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin

• Alexander Hamilton & Benjamin Franklin

• Benjamin Franklin & James Madison

The Movement to End Slavery

​Some Americans had opposed slavery since before the country was founded. Benjamin Franklin was the president of the first antislavery society in America, the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. In the 1830s Americans took more organized action to support abolition, or a complete end to slavery. Many abolitionists worked tirelessly to end slavery.

​Religious leaders gave speeches and published pamphlets that moved many Americans to support abolition. In one of these, abolitionist Theodore Weld wrote that “everyman knows that slavery is a curse.” Other abolitionists referred to the Declaration of Independence. They reminded people that the American Revolution had been fought in the name of liberty.

​Antislavery reformers did not always agree on the details, however. They differed over how much equality they thought African Americans should have. Some believed that African Americans should receive the same treatment as white Americans. In contrast, other abolitionists were against full political and social equality.

Multiple Choice

The complete end to slavery is known as ______.

• Abolition/Abolitionists

• Anti-Slavery
• "Equality For All" Movement
• Temperance

Multiple Choice

What is an Abolitionists?

• People who wanted to end Slavery

• People who ran away from crimes

• People who wanted to continue Slavery

Multiple Select

(Check all that apply) Frederick Douglass did all the following

• Born into Slavery

• Escaped to have freedom in the North

• Was recaptured into Slavery

• Broke the law by learning how to read

Multiple Choice

Working the Underground Railroad was dangerous and illegal.

• True

• False

Open Ended

Using at least 2 complete sentences, what are 2 things you learned today from the presentation?