Anti-and-Pro Slavery Abolitionist

The abolitionist movement leading up to the Juneteenth Day Celebration was a complex tapestry of individuals and factions, including men and women of various races and nationalities. Among them were anti-slavery abolitionists, fervently dedicated to ending the institution of slavery, and pro-slavery abolitionists, whose motivations were starkly different. While the anti-slavery faction fought for the liberation and equal rights of enslaved people within the United States, the pro-slavery abolitionists, largely composed of merchants and slaveholders, sought a different resolution: they aimed to free slaves, but only if they could be removed from American soil. This fundamental divide underscored the tensions and paradoxes within the abolitionist cause.

The pro-slavery abolitionists took their efforts a step further by establishing a colony on the west coast of Africa, which eventually gained some reluctant support from segments of the anti-slavery abolitionist movement. To the pro-slavery merchants and slaveholders, the presence of free African Americans posed a threat to the continuation of slavery and their economic interests. They viewed the removal of freed blacks to Africa as a way to preserve their business model while addressing growing pressure to abolish slavery. Thus, they embarked on a project to resettle freed African Americans in Africa, using this strategy to maintain control and suppress the hope for freedom among those still enslaved.

 

The creation of this colony required meticulous planning and logistics. The pro-slavery abolitionists spearheaded efforts to organize transportation and resettlement for free African Americans. However, this endeavor overlooked the deep disconnect between African Americans and the African continent. After over 400 years in America, African Americans had little in common with their African counterparts beyond their skin color. Cultural, linguistic, and societal differences created significant challenges for those who were sent to the new colony. Despite these obstacles, the resettlement drive proceeded, fueled by the pro-slavery faction's determination to remove free blacks from the United States.

Remarkably, despite the profound cultural divide, African Americans and native Africans found ways to bridge the gaps in language and understanding. With assistance from the American Colonization Society (ACS), they learned to communicate and coexist. The ACS played a pivotal role in facilitating the transition, serving as a mediator and organizer for this controversial resettlement project. Over time, the relationships between the settlers and the indigenous populations evolved, allowing for a blending of cultures and the foundation of a new society.

This blending of African American settlers and native Africans eventually led to the creation of a distinct nation: Liberia. The nation’s origins are deeply tied to the abolitionist movement, embodying both its noble aspirations and its contradictions. Liberia became a symbol of African American resilience and adaptability, even as its founding was rooted in the pro-slavery faction’s attempt to maintain control over the institution of slavery in America. The establishment of Liberia underscores the complex legacy of the abolitionist struggle and its far-reaching impacts on history.

Ultimately, the story of the abolitionists and the founding of Liberia reflects the intertwined narratives of freedom, displacement, and identity. It reveals how individuals and factions with opposing motivations contributed to a shared, albeit conflicted, chapter in history. As we commemorate Juneteenth, it is essential to remember these layered stories, which illuminate the sacrifices, struggles, and paradoxes that shaped the path to freedom.

The 4th of July and the Slave

What to the Slave is the 4th of July, asked Fredrick Douglass? To Fredrick Douglass, the 4th of July meant that America had not lived up to its promise. What the constitution said to the abolitionist was that: all men were created equal except the slave. To Douglass and the abolitionists that supported him, Independence Day stood as a glaring contradiction to the words in the constitution, words made glowingly obvious to the anti-slavery members when it came to black men. The slaves had taken part in helping to preserve the colonies turned states by fighting in the war of independence for independence that did not necessarily apply to the slaves. That meant that slaves could fight for the American Flag, but because they were not considered citizens, at that time, were not entitled to equal protection under the law.  

To Frederick Douglass and those who supported him the constitution's elegant written design and words: all men are created equal, clearly referred only to white men. Black men, even "free black men," really had no protections under the law except where they appeared as the property of a slaveholder. The Dread Scott Decision by the courts would make it clear that slaves, black men, and women were not seen as citizens of the U.S. whose flag the slaves were being asked to honor. A situation that would persist from 1776 up to and into the Civil War. 

After reading the book Douglass and Lincoln, by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, I realized that if Lincoln had any problem with Frederick Douglass it was that Douglass wanted freedom for his people now! Right then and there while Lincoln on the other hand preferred a more cautious approach when dealing with the abolishment of the slavery problem.

Fredrick Douglass had his wit, intelligence, and experiences with racism that drove him to advocate so forcefully for the end of slavery. Lincoln didn't see himself as a reformer, or even an abolitionist, but he did possess a deep dislike of slavery and a desire to see an end to slavery but Lincoln also realized that the issue of slavery was such an economic and emotional issue that put maximum stress on and already shaky union with pro-slavery states it could fracture that union and lead to Civil War.

As far as Douglass was concerned there was the Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln that he received positive affirmation from their discussions about ways to institute and embrace the end of slavery, and then the new President-Elect Abraham Lincoln who seemed suddenly more reticent about the slavery issues that drove Frederick Douglass day and night. For Douglass, with the election of Abraham Lincoln, never had the time been so right for a major change in the social-economic makeup of a nation. 

Back in 1860 the U.S. existed mostly east of the Mississippi River and in an attempt to expand new additions to the union like Kansas were usually invaded by slavery and anti-slavery factions determined to battle it out over whether a new state became a slave state, or a state free of slavery. After Lincoln's election, the south began dismantling the union of states by session and declaring war on the United States with an attack on Fort Sumter followed by the Civil War. Fredrick Douglass's first attempt to impress upon the new president Abraham Lincoln to allow black troops to join the U.S. military was not well received by Lincoln. 

Two or three years into the Civil War Abraham Lincoln would announce the Emancipation Proclamation. The document would earn the disapproval of Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists because while it was a start, freeing only the slaves in confederate areas, it did not set free slaves in friendly northern areas, a fact that further inflamed the confederacy and disappointed the abolitionist.

Frederick Douglass did consider it good news when later Lincoln would allow black American troops to fight for their own freedom and just like in the war for this nation's independence from England black troops would distinguish themselves on the battlefield. The end of the Civil War was a time that represented a successful end to the underground railroad for the white abolitionist and clergy who maintained it and established a new Independence Day for black men and women called Juneteenth.