So-called militant abolitionist events and tactics are simply assertive methods of activism. Labeling David Walker’s appeal, William Lloyd Garrison's “The Liberator,” Nat Turner's revolt, and the Underground Railroad as “militant” not only undermines their necessity but also draws attention away from the militant nature of slavery itself. Calling these events “militant” discredits these events and tactics, all of which were effective in their own ways.
All of these events had a strong bearing on Southern rebellion. However, of these four 1850s political events, the one that most strongly caused the South to declare secession from the United States was the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed new territories to determine their slave status not by geographic borders but by popular vote. The Dred Scott decision was favorable to slave owners and Southerners in general and so likely had the least impact on the South’s decision to secede.
The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency threatened the integrity of the slaveholding way of life in the South, in spite of the fact that Lincoln had a Southern Democrat as a running mate. Seeing that their power was being systematically encroached upon by Northerners and those with anti-slavery and pro-human rights beliefs, Southerners started to view their government as a hostile force, leading them to secede.
The questions or wonderments I have about the path to ending slavery are related to the lack of gumption shown by the federal government in disciplining the South. The end of the Civil War changed the legal status of African-Americans but enabled the perpetuation of racism and did nothing to stop racists from remaining in positions of power. What remains unanswered is how we can avoid making dreadful compromises in the future, and cease appeasing those whose values are antithetical to equality.
Works Cited
Franklin, John Hope. From Slavery to Freedom : a History of African Americans. New York :McGraw-Hill/Connect Learn Succeed, 2011.
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