In 1820, debates over whether new states should allow slavery intensified conflict between the North and South. Many Americans feared that adding more states that permitted slavery would give the South too much political power. Others believed Congress had no right to restrict slavery’s spread. To ease these growing tensions, Congress, led by Henry Clay, created the Missouri Compromise. The agreement allowed Missouri to enter the Union while permitting slavery, and Maine to enter as a free state. It also drew a line across the Louisiana Purchase to limit where slavery could expand. The Missouri Compromise did not solve the issue. Instead, it showed how divided the nation really was. Following the compromise, more people spoke out against slavery, which helped the abolitionist movement grow.
Religious ideas helped fuel this movement. The Second Great Awakening taught that everyone is equal before God. This belief pushed many Americans to view slavery as a moral wrong. Writers, church leaders, and community organizers spoke out, printed pamphlets, and held meetings. William Lloyd Garrison became one of the most famous voices. In 1831, he founded a newspaper called The Liberator in Boston. He argued that people held in slavery should be freed immediately and that equal rights should follow. The newspaper relied on support from Black Bostonians and other Northern Black communities, who subscribed, raised funds, and wrote for the paper.
A year after The Liberator began, Garrison and allies helped form the New England Anti-Slavery Society. In 1833, reformers formed the American Anti-Slavery Society. It grew quickly across Northern states through mass meetings, petitions to Congress, and an outpouring of newspapers and tracts. These efforts aimed to change public opinion and to push leaders to act. At the same time, opponents tried to silence the movement. Some officials stopped mail from delivering anti-slavery materials. Crowds also attacked abolitionist meetings and events at times. Instead of stopping the cause, these actions often convinced more people to get involved.
Black abolitionists played a key role in the movement by sharing their experiences and guiding their communities. Frederick Douglass told his life story, edited newspapers, and spoke to crowded halls. Sojourner Truth connected freedom and women’s rights in powerful speeches. Local Black churches hosted meetings, raised money, and helped people who had escaped slavery find safety and work. These voices argued that slavery was not only a legal issue, but also a human issue that hurt families and denied basic rights.
As the movement grew, people began to disagree about strategy. Some, including Garrison, focused on moral persuasion and criticized the Constitution for protecting slavery. Others thought political action could speed change. In 1840, activists formed the Liberty Party. They aimed to get Congress to end slavery in the District of Columbia. They also wanted to stop the interstate slave trade and prevent any new states from joining the union to allow slavery. Though small, the party showed a new path for turning belief into law.
By the 1850s, the movement included newspapers, societies, petitions, lectures, and political campaigns. People did not always agree on methods, but they worked toward the same goal: the end of slavery and the expansion of freedom.
