Town hall reflection.

Today, I learned that abolition was a much more complex subject than what we learned in high school. It is natural for high school teacher to make us study well-known figures, while overlooking the countless individuals who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for the abolitionist cause, such as Angelina and Sarah Grimke, who were effective anti slavery speakers, but due to the time they lived in it was uncommon for women to have a voice & a weighted opinion.  Many dedicated activists made significant contributions to the fight against slavery, but their names may never be remembered or even taught. I believe the stories of these people deserve recognition and should be included in our educational curriculum  

I discovered that many free Black individuals became prominent abolitionists.  A common thing for newly freed slaves was to change their names for a series of reasons—some sought protection, while others simply wanted to get rid names given to them and adopt ones they took pride in and learned on their own. Notably, John Quincy Adams was one of the only two presidents who did not own slaves. Though he didn’t consider himself an abolitionist, he fought for African Americans in court and had strong reasons for opposing slavery. 

I noticed that some women in the movement were recognized for their advocacy of women's rights, and I realized a lack for them fighting for black people instead. This movement was very strong and even converted some slave owners to the good side. For example Abigail Adams, who once owned slaves, eventually became an advocate for anti-slavery.  Most educated escaped slaves became abolitionists. The age of individuals involved in the movement varied widely; for example, John Brown fathered 13 children with a woman who was just 17. Relationships like these were often exploitative, as it was not uncommon to reproduce with enslaved women to create more slaves. This was able to happen due to the social structure of the time, which dictated that one inherited their mother’s status; if your mother was enslaved, so were you.  

One thing that the presenters highlighted was that very famous abolitionist didn't come from a good background always, for example slaves who became educated like Frederick Douglass, but also white men such as William Lloyd Garrison, who faced significant challenges early in life,  his father abandoned the family, which forced him to learn and fend for himself at a very young age. He luckily lived with a whom pastor inspired him, and he later partnered with a man named William to work against slavery and expose its horrors. Garrison was one of the most controversial abolitionists of his time, yet he truly earned the title through his founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society and his relentless advocacy against the institution of slavery.