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==U.S.==

==U.S.==

===Politics===

===Politics===

In American politics, "abolition" was only a small part of the much larger '''Anti-Slavery''' movement.  The latter included the [[Free Soil Party]] of 1848 and, especially, the [[Reopublican Party]], founded in 1854. Abolitionists demanded the ''immediate'' abolition of slavery regardless of consequences.  Republicans rejected that idea until 1862; their goal was to kill slavery eventually by preventing it from expanding. That is, the Republicans had a "containment" policy (much like the one in the [[Cold War]] against the Soviet Union). The idea was that slavery had to expand to survive. There was bad blood between abolitionists (who denounced the Republicans as soft on slavery), and the republicans (who denounced the abolitionists as dangerous radicals. Democrats north and south repeatedly denounced the Republican Party, falsely, as the party of abolition. Abolitionists also rejected the idea of buying the slaves and freeing them, saying that would reward the slave owners for their sins.

In American politics, "abolition" was only a small part of the much larger '''Anti-Slavery''' movement.  The latter included the [[Free Soil Party]] of 1848 and, especially, the [[Republican Party]], founded in 1854. Abolitionists demanded the ''immediate'' abolition of slavery regardless of consequences.  Republicans rejected that idea until 1862; their goal was to kill slavery eventually by preventing it from expanding. That is, the Republicans had a "containment" policy (much like the one in the [[Cold War]] against the Soviet Union). The idea was that slavery had to expand to survive. There was bad blood between abolitionists (who denounced the Republicans as soft on slavery), and the Republicans (who denounced the abolitionists as dangerous radicals). Democrats north and south repeatedly denounced the Republican Party, falsely, as the party of abolition. Abolitionists also rejected the idea of buying the slaves and freeing them, saying that would reward the slave owners for their sins.

===Abolitionists===

===Abolitionists===

The first abolition organization formed in the United States was the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, originally known as the Society for the "Relief for Free Negroes unlawfully held in Bondage", in 1775.<ref>http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=634</ref> Organizations such as these made use of the [[Underground Railroad]], a loosely organized system for secretly transporting a few hundred slaves into Canada.  

Probably the first U.S. abolitionist was [[Samuel Sewall]], who published [http://www.masshist.org/objects/transcription.cfm?transcriptDir=masshist&transcript=sewall1492.xml&queryID=57 The Selling of Joseph: A Memorial] in Boston in 1700.  However, the first abolition organization formed in the United States was the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, originally known as the Society for the "Relief for Free Negroes unlawfully held in Bondage", in 1775.<ref>http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=634</ref>.

The American abolitionist movement was transformed by [[William Lloyd Farrison]] and reached its peak 1840-1850. The movement had little to do with the actual abolition of slavery, which was a war measure carried out by [[Abraham Lincoln]] and the Republican Party in 1862-65. The forces that were lined up for the continuation of slavery were strong and numerous; the abolitionists were few in number and had no political power before 1860 but were guided by a strong religious belief and the moral need to right a horrible wrong.

 

The American abolitionist movement was transformed by [[William Lloyd Garrison]] and reached its peak 1840-1850. The movement had little to do with the actual abolition of slavery, which was a war measure carried out by [[Abraham Lincoln]] and the Republican Party in 1862-65. The forces that were lined up for the continuation of slavery were strong and numerous; the abolitionists were few in number and had no political power before 1860 but were guided by a strong religious belief and the moral need to right a horrible wrong.

Abolitionists argued that the action of capturing Africans and selling them as slaves was as bad as the capture and selling of Joseph had been.  Pro-slavery spokesmen pointed out that the Bible repeatedly endorsed slavery and denounced the abolitionists for trying to start a race war that would kill many thousands of blacks and whites, as happened in [[Haiti]] in the 1790s.

Abolitionists argued that the action of capturing Africans and selling them as slaves was as bad as the capture and selling of Joseph had been.  Pro-slavery spokesmen pointed out that the Bible repeatedly endorsed slavery and denounced the abolitionists for trying to start a race war that would kill many thousands of blacks and whites, as happened in [[Haiti]] in the 1790s.

Historians debate whether the abolitionists ignited a frenzy that led to a war with 600,000 deaths that could have been avoided. [[Neoabolitionist]]s are 20th century historians who used the moral themese of the original abolitionists to rewrite history in terms of the evils of slavery and racism.

Historians debate whether the abolitionists ignited a frenzy that led to a war with 600,000 deaths that could have been avoided. [[Neoabolitionist]]s are 20th century historians who used the moral themes of the original abolitionists to rewrite history in terms of the evils of slavery and racism.

==Religion==

==Religion==