Another Leader, James Birney, Was A Powerful Abolitionists

Another leader, James Birney, was a powerful abolitionists leader and â€Å"he believed that political action and the power of religion were the keys to ending slavery,† and his proposal, â€Å"proposed measures that would allow the legislature to emancipate slaves and prohibit selling slaves brought into the state,† allowed for him to be known as, â€Å"one of the nation’s most prominent abolitionists† (American Experience†). James Birney was also the Liberty Party’s presidential candidate during the 1840 to 1844 presidential campaign (Abolitionists). According to historical evidence, Birney and Garrison did not get along on the issue of how to best emancipate slavery, â€Å"Birney’s ideas about achieving abolition using political means and moral†¦show more content†¦Without these white and black abolitionist leaders, the fight to emancipate the slaves and the Civil War might not have happened; therefore, each leader influe nced the nation. Religion was another factor in creating and solidifying the abolitionist movement. The first religious group to reject slavery was the Quakers, â€Å"standing almost alone in professing that slaveholding was incompatible with Christian piety† (McKivigan). Not long after the Quakers stand against slavery, did the northern states and the federal government take a stand, â€Å"federal government prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory and banned the trans-Atlantic slave trade.† (McKivigan). Out of all the states, â€Å"Virginia was the first territory to ban slavery within their borders,† and not long after that, â€Å"Pennsylvania followed suit† (American Experience†). As the churches from the North and the South began to preach differently upon slavery, the churches started to reject and despise each other, â€Å"abolitionist ideas became increasingly prominent in Northern churches, which contributed to the regional animosity between the North and South† (Abolitionist Movement). Therefore, religion was an integral component to instigating the start of the Civil War. When the churches started believing that slavery was inhumane and that emancipation was greatly needed, the abolitionist cause becameShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Road to Freedom—the Underground Railroad2714 Words   |  11 Pages where the bloody lash was not buried in the quivering flesh of a slave.... (7,p.i). Such were the conditions of the Underground Railroad. It was a fictitous railroad but served the same purpose: to transport people from one place to another. This railroad, however, was not sanctioned by any government, in fact if it had been discovered many would have died. The Underground Railroad was a huge risk. If you used it, and were caught, you could die. For some that was better than being treated