Enslavement and Abolition
Driving Question: How did abolitionist movements reshape political and economic structures during the long nineteenth century?
Even as liberty became a global ideal, slavery remained a global reality. Resistance came from enslaved people, activists, and communities who refused to accept the system. Even with the abolition of slavery, the fight for equality was far from over.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the factors that led to the abolition of slavery and its lasting impacts on modern society.
- Use the historical thinking practice of sourcing to evaluate theories about the abolition of slavery.
- Use a graphic biography to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives of this period.
Vocab Terms:
- abolitionist
- activism
- capitalism
- enslavement
- plantation
- racism
- slave trade
Teaching about slavery and abolition can evoke strong feelings in any classroom. Check out our guide on teaching sensitive topics for strategies for managing these discussions. For example:
Shared knowledge and shared responsibilities: No student should feel that they are excluded from or required to participate in any topic simply because of who they are or how they identify. We all have a responsibility to understand and empathize with difficult historical topics. Ensure each student feels like their voice can be heard—or that they have the right not to speak.
In this lesson, you are going to learn about individuals and groups who made important choices that transformed the world for the better. This quick opener will help you think through what drives decision-making.
Note: This sourcing activity is intended to be a teacher-led, collaborative activity. If you’re pressed for time, students can easily complete this activity on their own or with a partner.
Be sure to reference the Lesson Guide. It includes extensive sample answers that will help you guide students through these readings.
These materials explore why slavery was abolished and highlight the role of abolitionist voices. You’ll use evidence to understand how abolition reshaped politics and the economy in the industrial age.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Which countries ended the slave trade or slavery early? Which ended it late?
- How did capitalism and industrialization help bring slavery to an end?
- How did changing beliefs about morality and human rights help end slavery?
- How did African and African-descended communities work to end slavery?
- Did slavery really end when it became illegal?
After you read
Respond to these questions: Which argument for why slavery ended do you find most convincing? Why?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the comic, paying attention to things like prominent colors, shapes, and types of text and fonts. How do you know where to start and in which direction to read? What’s in the gutters (the space between panels)? Who or what is the focus of the comic?
While you read
- What were Purvis’s family and community like while she was growing up?
- What happened when the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society held a national conference in 1838?
- How did Purvis and her husband fight against slavery and discrimination?
- What other reform movement did Purvis join? What impact did that movement have?
- What message is the artist sending by showing two women holding hands at the start, but separated at the end?
After you read
Respond to this question: How does Purvis’s story support or challenge what you’ve learned about social change and its limits in the nineteenth century?
Set the stage: Set context prior to watching a video with students: Why are we watching this video? What do we hope to learn from it? How does the information in this video align with or go against what we’ve learned in class thus far? Make sure students have enough background knowledge for the video to make sense.
This article and video show how abolition changed societies—but also how racism and inequality continued in the political and economic systems.
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Where was the first large post-abolition society? How did it form?
- When Britain ended slavery in the Caribbean, who got compensation? Why?
- How were formerly enslaved people still controlled in the British Caribbean?
- After the United States abolished slavery, how did the government treat African Americans?
- Why did European powers end slavery in their African colonies?
After you read
Respond to this question: How does this article deepen your understanding of the impact of reform movements in the long nineteenth century?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Preview the questions below, and then review the transcript.
While you watch
Look for answers to these questions:
- What was life like around Cape Coast before the Atlantic slave trade began?
- What does the structure of Cape Coast Castle reveal about the slave trade?
- What were some of the economic effects of the slave trade on the coastal region?
- How did the slave trade change how people lived in West Africa?
- How did visiting Cape Coast Castle affect Ato Ashun personally?
After you watch
Respond to this question: What do you think people should understand about the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on Ghana?
You’ve learned about the impacts of the slave trade and some of the people who helped end it. In this activity, you’ll choose the factors that you think were most important to the abolitionist movement.
Slaving and slavery existed alongside capitalism. But were they rival economic systems, or did they support each other?
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Guiding Questions
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Before you read
Preview the questions below, and then skim the article. Be sure to look at the section headings and any images.
While you read
Look for answers to these questions:
- Why does the link between slavery and capitalism still matter today?
- Why do some argue that capitalism should support free labor over enslaved labor?
- What evidence is used to show that slavery was inefficient for business owners in the United States?
- How were some industrialists connected to the abolitionist movement?
- What evidence suggests that the Atlantic slave trade helped spark industrial capitalism?
After you read
Respond to these questions: Which claim do you agree with more—that slavery helped build capitalism, or that capitalism helped end slavery? What evidence supports your choice?
