In America, every individual has the right to freedom, equality, and education although a significant number of African Americans were tortured with no access to education, no equality in accessing resources, and lack freedom. Slavery is an institution that results in a violation of human rights, which should be abolished and the slaves allowed equal rights in life, education, and autonomy. The practice results in a lot of problems and movements have been established as a strategy of the abolition of slavery. In the United States, the abolitionist movement was a drive that started in the 1800’s as efforts to end slavery.
The American Colonization Society was one of the initial groups in the United States that led the fight against slavery practices. The group had a perception that slaves would never adopt to the living styles of America, and they made attempts to send some back to Liberia. William Lioyd Garrison was an influential person in the antislavery movements who had served as a servant at the age of 14 years. Afterward, William turned out as a very passionate advocate of the fight to end slavery (Hummel 56). He published an antislavery newspaper by the title “The Liberator” meaning one who sets free. Besides, he was a women’s liberator who advocated for their suffrage.
Before the emergence of the sectional fighting in the year 1861, Americans had crashed over the meaning of the terms slavery and liberty. However, every State in the North passed laws on the abolition of slavery practices resulting in its extinction. In the year 1793, American masters secured the first federal fugitive legislation and the right to bring in the new state slave property (Hummel 345). In the 19th century, abolitionism emerged with extended debates on liberty and abolition of the practices. Although the expansion of slavery by geographical areas proved to be a divisive issue in the 1850’s, recovery of fugitive slaves resulted in the war over antislavery forces. After an increase in troubles in the North, the masters of the South advocated for an influential fugitive law.
In the assessment of the American people, African Americans are not inferior to other races and should be treated as equals. The government should, therefore, formulate laws and policies to change the misconceptions among the whites. It is clear that slaves suffered from various forms of mistreatments and a significant number succumbed to death during the voyage. Through the thirteenth amendment of the constitution, the government intended to end slavery practices during the occurrence of Civil war on a policy of military emancipation.
In the society today, many African Americans feel the sense of oppression in the society. In the year 1865, the abolition of slavery practice was included in the constitution. It is clear that the slavery practices affected the mental well-being of the Africans resulting in increased levels of poverty among them. The practices of slavery results in increased levels of violence and African individuals are forced to do work without compensation. It would be important to create awareness to reverse any wrong impression among the whites that African Americans are different (Berlin 32). It would be wrong to enact any laws that could increase the slavery practices. After achievement of Independence in the Northern States, a significant number of industries emerged and they no longer relied on slaves for prosperity. The people from south felt that slavery practices was the backbone of the economy and advocated for the continuation of slavery.
In conclusion, the end of slavery in America resulted from a struggle to enact legislations to end human trafficking and the efforts to make the laws effective. In most scenarios, the practice of slavery affects the victims in negative ways, and it is an interference with their rights. After a realization of the brutality of the slave trade, several movements emerged to fight for the rights of African Americans as the victims. The disagreements between North and South resulted in the civil war as a bloody battle that affected both sides in adverse ways.
- Berlin, Ira. The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States. Harvard University Press, 2015.
- Hummel, Jeffrey. Emancipating slaves, enslaving free men: a history of the American civil war. Open court, 2013.
