What is abolition? By definition, abolition is the legal end and prohibition of slavery. However, each person has his or her own definition of abolition, and they are all correct: in a sense, abolition is what you make it out to be. At the start of this class, abolition had a similar meaning to me as the definition–the ending of slavery and freeing of a large group of people. Abolition was an end to a cruel and unjust practice that was performed right here, in the United States of America. Abolition was a conflict that the entire nation had a view on, and these views split the nation in two: people who supported abolition and felt as though it was something that should be followed through, and those who supported slavery and did not want to see it stopped. Abolition, at the time, may not have seen like it would be something that would alter the history of the country forever, but it did. Abolition has forever changed the course of our country and its practices, and the people responsible for it should be remembered for all of their hard work. Unfortunately, many of their stories remain untold and must be uncovered. While it seems like doing this would be a simple task, it is not. There are many stories that not available to the public and/or are very difficult to obtain. There are stories that everyone knows, such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas, but there are also many that must be researched at a much deeper level, such as Lydia Hamilton Smith and Catty Williams. These individuals are true abolitionists, and unfortunately there are very little known about them.

After learning about the politics behind the abolition, I have changed my philosophy of it as an event to a movement. The abolitionist movement was personal and political, dependent on the individual involved. Some people may think that abolition was a purely political movement, but that simply is not true; although politics may have been heavily involved, it was not acting alone. Politics would only have gotten the movement so far before personal agendas would need to be followed. For instance, Abraham Lincoln is often regarded as one of the most influential individuals involved with the movement. He knew that slavery was wrong and unjust and something should be done to stop it (his personal agenda). Because he was the most powerful man in the country, Lincoln used his position to see that something would be done (his political agenda). Lincoln even said that he was ignoring the courts and acting on his own behalf, knowing what truly would become of his actions. He knew that his decisions would create a divide, but he did not feel as though this would be something “strong enough” to prevent him from moving forward.

On the other hand, the politics of abolition was spread throughout the country. The Constitution, which was created to grant equal rights to all individuals and freedom to a nation, was being disregarded when it came to slavery. While the Constitution did allow for slavery to take place on American soil, it was hypocritical of itself in that it allowed freed persons to enslave others as property. Furthermore, many of the nation’s most powerful political figures themselves owned slaves at a time when the country was divided on whether or not this was appropriate. No matter where you looked, politics played a role in abolition, and in a sense, it was a movement that swept through the country.

Slavery and abolition is also something that is very psychological. Blacks that were involved with slavery often felt as though there was no way out of their situation, and because of this they came to accept the life that they were given and did not try to do anything to change it: they played the hand that they were dealt. Even though slavery was finally prohibited in the United States, many of those who were previously enslaved still received different treatment, which was often unfair. Until very recently, this treatment continued and the psychological chains of slavery remain to this day. Currently, there are many individuals who still live with the mindset that slavery is current and never ending. They feel as though no matter what accomplishments they make, they will never truly be recognized because of events that occurred in the past. Also, there are some people who feel as though advancement is impossible, again because of events that took place in the past the treatments that they were given. On the other hand, there are a vast number of individuals who feel as though this was all in the past and that they can now successfully make a name for themselves. All of this comes down to the psychological chains of slavery, which some people are still confined by. Until these chains can be completely removed, those bound by them will have the mindset that they cannot control change or make a difference. Psychology has played a huge role in abolition, and to this day it remains. Unfortunately, the only thing that can truly remove these chains will be time–as equality progresses and rights are shared, the chains will be broken and slavery will only remain as something of the past (not something that has been forgotten, but something that has been overcome).

The Underground Railroad was a vital part of the abolitionist movement. Many individuals know about the Railroad and what its goals were, but they do not know the stories of the people who made it possible. When dealing with the Underground Railroad, it is important to consider the role of women, the white abolitionists and freed black slaves that housed the runaways, and how all of these people tie together in the “final” story. Many women were involved with transporting the slaves from slavery to freedom, and along the way they often put their own lives in grave danger. Even though they knew of this danger, they pushed forward with their efforts. They realized that there were a part of something much bigger, and they did not consider their safety the main priority. These were the people that pushed the movement forward.

It is also important to consider the views of white and cultural abolitionists. Most of the safe-houses along the Railroad were owned by whites who opposed slavery and freed blacks who wanted to help as much as they possibly could. Similarly to the women who ran the Railroad, these abolitionists knew of the dangers that they were facing, but they cared more about the cause than their own protection.

Together, the women who ran the Underground Railroad and the abolitionists who helped along the way helped to give abolition the meaning that we associate with it today. Their efforts were necessary to further the cause, and at the same time they sent a message. They did not put their own safety first, and they often came face to face with obstacles along the way of doing what they thought was just. Had these men and women not performed the way that they did, abolition may have been given an entirely different meaning.

After discussing the Underground Railroad in class and watching various videos, I can see that it also has some psychological chains attached to it. For instance, when William Still’s mother made the decision to escape slavery, she had to pick which two of her children she could take. Ultimately, she chose the girls, leaving the boys behind because they would be able to take care of themselves, but this is a choice that would have remained with her for the rest of her life. She would always be wondering how they boys were doing and if she would ever see them again. This just goes to show how strong the chains of slavery are, and it represents how it can be difficult to break them.

When dealing with abolition, it is very easy to find many different viewpoints and conflicting ideas. When you encounter this situation, it is important to follow the facts until you can be certain that they are in fact true. For instance, when Dr. Samuel Cartwright said that slaves who tried to escape had some type of mental disease, many people believed him and he even had his ideas published. If you were doing research and found this publication, you would need to follow the facts and see if there was any validity behind this claim. Eventually, you would come to realize that there is nothing else to support this claim and it must be false. But you found it on the internet, how can it not be true? Seeing as though anyone can say whatever they would like online, it is a vital step of research to check/follow your facts. Because there are so many articles and viewpoints on abolition, the same must be done when researching the history of abolition. In doing this research, my philosophy of abolition has changed greatly. I now know what facts I can accept and which ones I have falsely believed in.

When you perform your research, it is important to do so with an ethnohistorical lens. Doing so will allow you the chance to gain a deeper understanding of your topic, and you will also be able to appreciate it that much more. Before this class, I would always just find information and put it into a paper. However, now I will find information, think about how I can relate to it and what exactly it is saying to me, and then I will put it in my paper, in a way that others will be able to understand and appreciate as well. Ethnohistorical research is necessary because it makes the research understandable. Anyone can jot down facts on a piece of paper, but what does it truly mean? Because I have been performing my research in such a manor, I have now altered my overall philosophy of abolition from the ending of slavery, to the granting of a new way of life not only for the enslaved individuals, but also for the country as a whole.

After performing my research ethnohistorically, listening to in class discussions, and referring to literary texts, I can now say that my philosophy of abolition has drastically changed from the first day of class. What I once thought of as an end to slavery and granting of freedom, I will no more. Now, I view abolition as a movement, as a way of life, and as a choice. Let me explain what I mean–when I say that abolition is a movement, I mean that it took a great deal of time and effort to achieve it. Those involved had their own personal and political agendas, but nonetheless they all wanted to achieve the same things in the end. In terms of abolition as a way of life, everyone involved with the movement had to dedicate themselves entirely to the cause. They put their own lives in danger fighting for what they thought was right and just. Ultimately, the movement became their life. In addition, for those that were involved with slavery, they have the psychological stigma attached to it of being “inferior” and treated as “worthless.” Even though this was no longer the case, it was how they felt and how they had been brought up, so for them it remained a way of life. In terms of abolition being a choice, I mean that the entire country faced a divide on what was right and what was wrong. Half of the population thought that slavery should be ended, while the other half believed that it should continue. Essentially, everyone had their own view on the matter, and how they chose to pursue this view is what led to the movement.

Originally I thought of abolition as the ending of slavery and the freeing of blacks. However, after all of our discussions and research, I now realize that it is much more than that. I think of abolition as a movement that would forever change the course of our history. Where would we be today had the thirteenth amendment not been passed? (Quite honestly, that is not something that I wish to think about because some of the potential answers send chills down my spine). The people that pushed for abolition put their own lives on the line so that they could save tens of thousands of people that they did not even know. Abolition was not something that was optional; it was something that was needed. Abolition truly made America “the land of the free.” I also realize that my philosophy of abolition may be completely different than every person that is reading this, and I am okay with that: that is one of the things that I have come to learn from this class. Just because we have different ideas of abolition it does not mean that any of us are wrong. This is one of the many beautiful things about abolition–no matter how you view it, you are right and everyone will accept your opinion. You shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and have you voice heard. Just think, where would we be if abolitionists did not speak up and have their voices heard? In our own little way, we are contributing to the movement, which is not a part of history, but rather something that is continuous and will be for generations to come.