Abolitionists: Their Ideology, and Their Relation with Lincoln and Poli

During the 19th century the religious revival led to a corresponding social reform that would transform the American Society. Reformers led various campaigns including a campaign to close all public places such as shops and taverns on Sundays. The religious revival also led to the Abolition movement, which aimed to eliminate slavery in America. During the time up until the Civil war abolitionists would try to influence both society and politics using ways some of which were similar to those of political parties. The relationship between abolitionists, their ideals and politics was key in reforming national policy related to slavery. Though President Lincoln was opposed to slavery he was not an abolitionist. However despite this Lincoln was strongly influenced by their ideas and they often made their way into his own writings. By agitating against slavery both in and out of politics they were able to change the opinion of a public that had previously rejected them. During the1830s abolitionism was anything but main stream, most abolitionists were either black or they were pious whites . Some of the first abolitionists (in both the United States and the Britian) were Quakers. They believed that God loved every human â€Å"regardless of colour, sex or station in life.† Due to this belief Quakers seemed likely to conclude that â€Å"Slavery,† as denounced by Benjamin Lay, â€Å"was the greatest sin against God’s will,† and that it should be abolished. Before the American Revolution, Quaker reformers such as John Woolman, Anthony Benezet and Benjamin Lay began to publish their views and bring up the issue of slavery at Quaker meetings. Even in the Southern states, where many Quakers owned slaves their actions led to an increased number of fr... ... being as inclusive as the abolitionist societies. Abolitionists had used all means they could access to send their antislavery message across the nation. They used traditional methods such as lectures and petitions, as well as the new technology of the steam press to print large numbers of pamphlets and newspapers, to inform the American public (Foner, 20). Works Cited Scott, Donald. â€Å"Evangelicalism as a Social Movement.† Divining America, TeacherServe ®. National Humanities Center, 1. Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. â€Å"American Abolitionism and Religion.† Divining America, TeacherServe ®. National Humanities Center. Foner, Eric. The Fiery Trial, Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2011. Walters, Ronald G.. The Antislavery Appeal, American Abolitionism after 1830.Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. 1976.