Growing Opposition To Slavery

The evil of slavery is obvious today: the complete bondage and ownership of another are a brutal violation of human rights. However, the immorality of bondage was not always so apparent. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were not extended to Africans, who were viewed as inferior and brutish by white standards. Although America was created with the ideals of democracy in mind, many did not recognize the paradox of having slavery in a "free" country. Slavery was central to the nation's wealth: cotton, the king export, was chiefly produced by slave labor. To threaten slavery was to threaten the country's being. Despite slavery's deep impression in America, many people came to object to bondage: many were shocked by the harsh sadistic
As the country matured, it became increasingly apparent that abomination of slavery in America could not hold. The growing opposition to slavery in the United States from 1776 to 1852 was largely linked to racism against Africans, growing moral concerns regarding the severity of slavery, and economic concerns of white unemployment.

Although abolitionists are generally stereotyped as having a moral revulsion to the evils of slavery, many anti-slavery supporters were led by racist views that suggested that blacks could never last in white society. For centuries, Europeans viewed blacks as disturbingly different, brutish, savage, and beastlike. Many historians such as Winthrop Jordan attribute such racism to have incited the exclusively African system of slavery in America. While racism was used to justify bondage, it was also led others to object to the South's peculiar institution. Many anti-slavery supporters, guided by racism, wanted to remove the black "inferior" population from society. They felt that blacks, being lesser than whites, could never
As the country matured, objection to slavery increased greatly, ultimately leading to the complete abolishment of slavery. Although slavery was deeply rooted in American society and economics, it was eventually vanquished. While the need for abolition may seem obvious today, the inherent evil of slavery was inconspicuous to many, leading to extended years of debate before the end of slavery. Although slavery has completely vanquished from this country, the effects of bondage can still be noticed today. Similar to how blacks were scorned in the makings of Early America, blacks are victim to harmful stereotyping and discrimination. Blacks are often assumed to be less intelligent and suffer lower economic and educational opportunity. The remnants of the intense racism that plagued slave America are still noticeable today. While the circumstances of Africans have certainly improved since the end of slavery and the civil right movement, improvement is still needed to for blacks to be equal, not just in the words of the law, but the through the eyes of all people. However, the success of abolitionism gives hope: abolitionists were originally few in number and criticized as "ultraists" for their seemingly radical ideas. Still, abolitionism soared in popularity as people became increasingly objected to its existence in America.