Africana Studies 241BN - Black Abolitionists

Slavery existed throughout the U.S. at the time of the American Revolution; afterwards, gradual emancipation plans freed the children of the formerly enslaved in the northern states. Runaways from the South increased their numbers. These nineteenth-century African Americans built the first edifices of freedom, chiefly through the institutions of family and religion, and furnished both leaders and foot soldiers for the abolitionist movement. They acted in the hope that their efforts would end slavery and bring full citizenship for black people. We will examine their unique contributions to the history of freedom, and the many obstacles they faced as they mobilized for emancipation.