Why did the north want to set the slaves free?

Answer 1

It wasn't just Northerners. The South had more abolitionist groups than the North. Abolitionists in the US were much the same as the Europeans who had outlawed slavery. They saw it as a direct contravention of the ideals of the country's founders; a barbaric system that was filled with unfair, cruel, and otherwise illegal actions.

The rights of free blacks in the South were also often ignored. Even in the North, many treated blacks as inferiors, and they were not accorded the same economic opportunities as other citizens.

Answer 2

They thought it was unfair for the slaves to have to work like maids. They thought that slaves should be treated equally just like everybody else.They wanted slaves to be taught how to read and write and not be in captivity all the time. Easy answer :)

Answer 3

Although most Americans in the North did not wish to see slavery established in the western frontier territories, there was no groundswell of support to end slavery in either the North or the South. Certainly the Northern textile mills were taking advantage of the low cost of cotton, partly due to the fact that slave labor in the South allowed for lower cotton wholesale prices.

Evangelical Christians in the North wanted slavery ended because of religious reasons.

Answer 4

Because they believed slavery was wrong.