Black Nationalism in the Slave Population

Slavery was a business for some, an economic necessity for others, and for those enslaved, a way of life from which they could only rarely escape. The image of the abolitionist has been of white Northerners who formed societies and agitated for change, serving a swell as part of the underground railroad to free slaves. However, there were also black abolitionists who played a prominent and important role, and African American leaders among the freed slave population served a particular role in that they had been victims of slavery and were now able to express themselves as they had been denied while slaves.

Stuckey finds that many "free" and slave blacks became dedicated to the idea of liberation with the American Revolution and the Haitian Revolt, leading many to desire unity in their ranks and control over their own destinies as well as independence from an oppressive and racist society. This coincided with the development of the United States after the Revolution: "It was obvious to black leaders that their people were not meaningfully included in the new nation, particularly since the great majority of them were still slaves." There is evidence that a sense of black nationalism infused the slave population, but clearly it was in the North among "free" blacks where there was an opportunity for them to frame their thoughts into statements calling for a transformation of values and the creation of institutions to move black people from dependency

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d slavery." Black leaders were active in developing anti-slavery groups such as the American Anti-Slavery Society or the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Local and regional antislavery organizations did much of the work in fighting slavery. Frederick Douglass, a former slave who wrote extensively about slavery and its consequences, was elected president of the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1847. Blacks also served as agents and speakers for various abolitionist societies. black abolitionists also wrote about emancipation, including in several black-owned newspapers, such as freedom's Journal or the Weekly Advocate. Another source of opposition to slavery was found in the church, and the black Christian churches did what they could to promote emancipation and the abolitionist cause. Religion developed so it formed the center of the world the slaves made for themselves. Parish cites Eugene Genovese to the effect that Christianity was a double-edged sword which could sanction either accommodation or justify resistance to slavery: In the everyday routine of plantation life, it brought spiritual comfort and relief to the individual slave and sustaining power to the slave community. An emotional brand of Chri

Category: History - B