Ibis Communications
Eye Witness to History: Escape From Slavery, 1838
Excerpts from the narrative of Frederick Douglass' escape from slavery in 1838. Includes photographs and references.
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Britain's Involvement With New World Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
With a focus on the 17th and 18th centuries, this article traces the history of Britain's large-scale involvement in the enslavement of Africans and the transatlantic slave trade.
Social Studies for Kids
Social Studies for Kids: Frederick Douglass: Great Foe of Slavery
One of the most important Black Americans in the history of the country was Frederick Douglass. Find out more about this outspoken foe of slavery.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Sacred Beliefs
At the beginning of the Civil War people in both the North and the South held firm beliefs about the reasons for the war. Some wanted to preserve the Union, others to end slavery. In the South the question was about states' rights and...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Pierce: Domestic Policies
As Franklin Pierce became president, the question of slavery in the territories occupied his handling of his domestic policies. Read about the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the resulting turmoil in Kansas as abolitionists and...
PBS
Pbs: Bleeding Kansas 1853 1861
This site details events surrounding the era known as "Bleeding Kansas" due to the conflict surrounding slavery in what is now Kansas.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: The Literature of Upheaval [Pdf]
In this instructional activity, 8th graders read excerpts from Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe and discuss the impact their ideas about society and slavery had when their books were published. They then...
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Stamped With Glory: Lewis Tappan and the Africans of the Amistad
Read about Lewis Tappan, "an abolitionist and devout Christian," and his participation with the Amistad trial. Providing detailed information and original documents, this is an excellent resource on Tappan and his efforts to expedite...
PBS
Pbs: Africans in America: Angelina Grimke Weld's Speech at Pennsylvania Hall
The text of a speech given by abolitionist Angelina Grimke Weld on May 17, 1838.
US Department of State
Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
Cornell University
Cornell University: Library: Abolitionism in America: Introduction
The introduction of an extensive website from the Cornell University Library, which includes text, documents, and other primary sources in an examination of the anti-slavery movement known as abolitionism.
Other
New York History Net: The Gerrit Smith Virtual Museum
Find a biography and primary source documents about Gerrit Smith, who was a leader of anti-slavery activities in Syracuse, and nationally. He converted Frederick Douglass to political abolitionism and helped to finance his work.
Library of Congress
Loc: Slaves and the Courts
Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860 contains just over a hundred pamphlets and books (published between 1772 and 1889) concerning the difficult and troubling experiences of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and...
British Library
British Library: Abolitionist Campaigners
A collection of short biographies of individuals who were involved in the anti-slave trade movement in England during the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Digital History
Digital History: What Was Life Like Under Slavery?
A sobering look at the life of the plantation slave in the decades before the Civil War. Read about the malnutrition, severe treatment, and inadequate living conditions.
Other
The Abolitionist: History and Geography of the Underground Railroad
Read a comprehensive account of the Underground Railroad, how it was organized, and the routes that were used. Be sure to read all three parts.
C3 Teachers
C3 Teachers: u.s. History Module: Did Charles Sumner Deserve It? [Pdf]
A comprehensive learning module on the abolitionist Charles Sumner that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and primary source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Topics addressed include...
Library of Congress
Loc: African American Odyssey: Abolition, Anti Slavery Movements
This site provides primary source documents and commentary that give an overall look at many different aspects of abolition, the antislavery movement, and the rise of division between North and South. From the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress
Loc: From Slavery to Freedom: African American Pamphlets, 1822 1909
A collection of historical, primary documents in the form of pamphlets written by African Americans from 1822-1909. Curriculum connections included.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: Slavery and American Revolution: Voices of Protest
Primary source material includes Quaker petition to Congress, October 4, 1783 and Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, watercolor (reproduction) by Susan Anne Livingston Ridley Sedgwick, 1811. Brief informational text.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Impact of Slavery
See how the ideals of freedom and equality garnered from the American Revolution were reflected in the early abolitionist movement and the banning of slavery in many Northern state constitutions as the new country was forming.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: William Lloyd Garrison and the Liberator
Read a good biography of William Lloyd Garrison, who was one of the new, radical abolitionists who thought slavery was absolutely immoral and should be ended immediately. He was the publisher of the abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator....
Lumen Learning
Lumen: American Literature: Resistance and Abolition
This article focuses on the resistance and abolition of slavery in the United States. It discusses the ways in which the slaves resisted slavery and the role abolitionists played.
British Library
British Library: The Slave Trade
An article describing the historical background to the Abolitionist movement in England, giving details on the slave trade and more.