Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Odyssey: Abolition, Anti Slavery Movements

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: The Abolitionists

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the abolitionist movement and the people who pushed for the abolition of slavery, especially William Lloyd Garrison who founded the Liberator newspaper and the New England Anti-Slavery Society. Arguments for slavery were put...
Handout
PBS

Pbs People and Events: Frederick Douglass

For Students 9th - 10th
This survey of the life of the abolitionist-writer Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) from the PBS series includes rare photographs of Douglass. Related links.
Study Guide
Ohio Test Prep

Ohio Test Prep: Module 5. Sectionalism and Antislavery

For Students 9th - 10th
Ohio Social Studies test preparatory module informs about the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad and the key role Ohio played during this era. Site includes video tutorial, interactive practice material, and assessment.
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Addressing Slavery

For Students 11th - 12th
In this section from a chapter on "Antebellum Idealism and Reform Impulses," students will learn about the different approaches to reforming the institution of slavery and be able to describe the abolitionist movement in the early to...
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Born in Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
From the Library of Congress American Memory project, this extensive online archive contains first-person narratives of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves that were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal...
Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Pierce: Domestic Policies

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Website
Cornell University

Cornell University: Library: I Will Be Heard: Prominent Abolitionists

For Students 9th - 10th
Find the impetus behind the anti-slavery movement and the philosophy that united all abolitionists even though they followed different routes. Included are links to individual biographies of prominent abolitionists.
Article
Other

Accessible Archives: National Anti Slavery Standard

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Anti-Slavery Standard was a weekly newspaper published by the abolitionist group, the American Anti-Slavery Society. How it was established and its history are described.
Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Frederick Douglass: From Slavery to Freedom

For Teachers 7th - 9th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief biography of the abolitionist writer and speaker, Frederick Douglass. A paired passage, a vocabulary support sheet, a questions sheet, and an answers sheets are...
Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: The American Abolitionist Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
The resources in this set highlight the people and political acts that were central to the abolitionist movement.
Website
Other

Wwhp: American Anti Slavery Society

For Students 9th - 10th
A good review of the evolution of the support for the abolition of slavery from the first anti-slavery organization formed by the Quakers to the support for Abraham Lincoln as president. Focus is on the American Anti-Slavery Society and...
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Mosaic: Conflict of Abolition and Slavery

For Students 9th - 10th
Historical documents trace how the abolitionists virulently decried slavery and denounced those who supported it.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: The American Abolitionist Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection that uses primary sources to explore the American Abolitionist Movement.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Perspective on the Slave Narrative

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan focusing on the the historical context of slave narratives, "Perspective on the Slave Narrative" introduces learners to the abolitionist movement and the slave experience.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to compare and explore the relationships between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Website
Columbia University

Columbia University: Columbia University & Slavery 11. Columbians

For Students 9th - 10th
This website was created by faculty, students, and staff to publicly present information about Columbia's historical connections to the institution of slavery. This article looks at the different approaches among Columbians to the...
Unknown Type
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Grade 7 Social Studies: Abolitionist Movement

For Teachers 7th - 8th
This sample task contains a set of primary and authentic sources about the fundamental beliefs that shaped the abolitionist movement.
Handout
British Library

British Library: The Slave Trade

For Students 9th - 10th
An article describing the historical background to the Abolitionist movement in England, giving details on the slave trade and more.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Countdown to Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the events leading up to the start of the American Civil War. Looks at clashes between pro- and anti-slavery groups, the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the fight over California, the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act,...
Whiteboard
Digital History

Digital History: The Slave Power Conspiracy

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about a book published in 1864 that contended that there was a conspiracy to spread slavery into the western territories. See that the accusations included in the book could not be authenicated, but the ideas presented showed the...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner

For Students 5th - 8th
Violence associated with strong feelings about slavery entered the halls of the Senate. Read what happened to Senator Charles Sumner after a two-day tirade he gave in the Senate after the sack of Lawrence, Kansas.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Amistad Case:

For Students 9th - 10th
Pictures and text from the Smithsonian Institute about the 1839 slave rebellion on the slave ship, The Amistad and the ensuing trial of the 36 Africans involved in the rebellion.
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: African American Mosaic: Influence of Prominent Abolitionists

For Students 9th - 10th
See documents and pictures of those actively involved in the anti-slavery movement. From the Library of Congress.