-What were the most important influences on the abolitionist movement?

-In your opinion, who was the most influential abolitionist leader?

-How were the abolitionist and early women’s movements related?

Early abolition

1. The abolitionist movement gained strength as more and more people learned about the evils of slavery. People were outraged by the cruelty of those who captured the runaway slaves and returned them to their masters. Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), presented very realistic descriptions of slave abuse. The book became extremely popular.

2. The most recognized leader of this movement was William Lloyd Garrison. He founded the Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. However, American abolitionists did not always agree on how to end slavery. Some wanted the government to pass laws to end slavery. Others were trying to individually help slaves gain their freedom and created the underground Underground Railroad network so that escaped slaves could reach safe places in the North or Canada

3.In the same way that the women's suffrage movement grew out of the abolitionist movement, the Women's Liberation Movement grew out of the fight for civil rights.Key components of the movement included awareness-raising sessions aimed at politicizing personal issues, small groups and limited organizational structures, and the focus on changing social perception rather than changing legislation. For example, liberationists did not endorse the reform of family laws to allow abortion, but believed that neither medical professionals nor the state should have the power to restrict women's full control over their own bodies.