What did US abolitionists believe?

Answer 1

In the United States, abolitionism began to grow as the 19th century advanced. Many people were not in favor of slavery, such as Abraham Lincoln, however, like Lincoln, most thinking politicians and others saw the danger of social and economic upheaval if slavery was abruptly ended. Both Lincoln and Henry Clay, as Whigs saw no solution to the latter unless overseas colonization of freed slaves was strongly endorsed. That Lincoln was an open minded thinker on this was that Clay, a slave owner, was Lincoln's mentor in politics. They were so close that Lincoln gave the eulogy at Clay's funeral. Not all abolitionists, however, believed that freeing all slaves no matter what the social and economic consequences might be. For example, Harriet Beecher Stowe, a true abolitionist, believed like Lincoln and many others that colonization of freed slaves was best for the US and freed slaves.On the extreme side of abolitionism were radicals like John Brown. For him revolution among slaves and the bloodshed that would cause, he ignored. While most Americans were strongly against a "slave revolt" and the damage that would cause, some, wealthy and intelligent Northeaster abolitionists who financed Brown did not seem to care. Of course they were safe in New England. Yet other strong abolitionists such as Frederick Douglas, a scholar and former slave, was against bloodshed. First, it was against his principles, and secondly he saw that most victims of a revolt would be the slaves themselves.