Extraordinary Advocates for Change
Since slavery so quickly became an institution in the South, the Underground Railroad’s tracks were running hot. The courage and cooperation among many was extremely important for passengers aboard the freedom train. During this time, newly organized groups of social reformers were joining forces to bring forth a call to action. Changes needed to take place in the United States and they needed to happen now! Known as abolitionists, this organization’s goal was to abolish the institution of slavery within the United States immediately. Abolitionists were a very diverse grouping of people: Northerners, Southerners, rich, poor, men, women, free-born African-Americans, former slaves, native Americans and many religious groups such as Quakers and Congressionalists. For more than three decades, abolitionists worked hard for their cause and eventually succeeded, thereby changing the course of American history. The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1833, and within half a dozen years it had hundreds of local chapters and 250,000 members in the North.