1. Americans’ Views of Slavery in the 1850s

2. Abolitionists Against Slavery.
Religious- Old Testament story of Moses leading the ancient Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. Quakers “We are all equal in God’s Eyes”. A sin to own another human.
Political- Slavery is against the ideas in the Dec. of Ind. that “All Men are created Equal!” and have certain rights “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

3. Enslaved African Americans
Hated Slavery! Had no Freedom!
Against the law to learn to read & write, most wouldn’t know of political reasons.
Taught Christianity so they could point to religious reasons.
Sang Spirituals that referred to it. Secretive way to protest.
Ran away, refused to work, broke tools, destroyed crops, & revolted too!

4. White Southerners Support slavery.
Some claimed slaves were well fed, well housed, and well clothed.
Others said slaves were better off than northern factory workers that they called “wage slaves”, who worked long hours in dusty airless factories
Most argued that slavery was essential to the southern economy & without it the economy would collapse
Further, many southerners exaggerated the extent of northern support for the abolitionist movement

5. White Northern Factory Workers
Most support slavery.
Feared if slavery ended, free African Americans would move north and take their jobs away for low pay.
Economic ($) reason for their support of it.

6. Northern Mill Owners, Bankers, and Merchants
Support Slavery.
Their livelihoods depended on cheap cotton being grown by slave labor in the South.
Economic ($) reason for their support of it.

7. Free African Americans
Sojourner Truth with Lincoln. She was a famous speaker.
Free African Americans
Against Slavery.
Many had been slaves themselves
Same reasons as Abolitionists
Many became the most ardent abolitionists.
William Still- Stationmaster of Philadelphia Underground R.R.
Frederick Douglass- Author & Orator
Harriet Tubman a.k.a. “Moses’

8. Conclusion?
In the 1850s, the majority Americans: North & South supported slavery mostly for economic ($) reasons.
It will take a bloody civil war to change the majority of Northerners views that slavery should be abolished.