Impact of Slavery on American Society: Insights from Give Me Liberty

“Give Me Liberty,” an acclaimed American history book, remains a powerful book through its integrated, concise, and authoritative discussion of significant issues such as slavery. A text proclaimed by Foner Eric addresses the divided, motivated and stirred impact of slavery in the United States of America (Foner, 106). Slavery’s peculiar institution in the U.S resulted in the creation of crusades challenging it, ranging from the American Colonization Society and Militant Abolitionism movement. Consecutively, it led to feminism origins with the rise of public women from Quakers, evangelical Protestants and New England Congregationalist witnessed. Also, slavery treatment in the U.S was inhumane, resulting in the American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. Therefore, while mainly focusing on the “Give Me Liberty” text as one of the American historical texts, it analyzes through Chapters 4 and 11 and other primary sources the impact slavery had in the United States.

In the United States, Slavery led to the creation of crusades; among them is the American Colonization Society and Militant Abolitionism movements, which challenged the latter. Various slaves facilitated campaigns against slavery in the U.S, Quakers and free blacks in the premise (Foner, 110). The United States thus experienced the rise of new crusade movements such as the American Colonization Society. Precisely, in 1816, the American Colonized Society was founded, encouraging free blacks from Western Nations such as Liberia to be colonized (Foner, 109). The latter forced the United States of America’s various political personnel and leaders from the U.S to act. Among the political leaders in the scenario were Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster and John Marshall. Movements on crusades against slavery in the U.S argued that cases of racism and slavery limited equity and equality in the U.S. Additional movement were fixed on militant abolitionism. Therefore their primary focus was based on drawing religious convictions which emphasized that slavery was specifically a sin. Also, they demanded and rejected emancipation and explosive languages against slaveholders and slavery (Foner, 106). United States leadership personnel such as William Lloyd, a standard liberator and a propagandist in the history of America, thus following the adverse impact of slavery ended up repealing and dissolving the set unions and constitution necessitating slavery.

On the other hand, slavery’s impact in America led to feminism’s origins. The public women included individuals from evangelical Protestants, Quakers and New England Congregationalists (Beecher, 362). In the U.S, the feminist women, other than prompting, circulated petitions, attending mass meetings, delivering lectures, raising political causes money; they also marched adhesively in the political parade. The women’s various parades in the U.S forced its government to understand their new legal and subordinate social status and even allocate a seat for them in the process. As a result, the United States’ various governmental forums met the women’s rights in return following their sparked movements on condemnation of slave trade and nudged for equity and equality (Beecher, 364). Among the feminist women included Margaret Fuller and, through her transcendentalist circle, managed to ensure that other than ending the slave trade, the U.S various leadership regimes were to ensure women participate in the market revolutions process (Beecher, 363). In return, they became self-owners and influencing further abolitionist movements to end the slave trade. Feminist women in the U.S prompted antislavery connections with various women’s movement rights in the U.S that, in the long run, initiate a change in legislation principles prohibiting the slave trade.

In the U.S also, slavery led to the American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening. Atlantic and African slave trade in the U.S necessitated American enlightenment. In the 18^th century, enlightenment focused on science and reasoning instead of traditional religious authority. Thus, the United States’ social and political life following the abolition of slavery was based on practical experimentation and research investigation (Foner, 313). Slavery in the U.S also facilitated the great awakening as the vast labour provided by labourers fulfilled U.S’ enlightenment growth rationalism, commercial development and westward expansions. The great awakening also prompted a religious revival in the U.S witnessed from 174fis and 172fis (Foner, 331). The facilitators of religious activities included George Whitefield, English revivalist and Jonathan Edwards, New England Congregationalist. They facilitated various united local programs and events focusing on personal and emotional Christianity and the nudge to eliminate all forms of inhumane activities such as slavery (Foner, 324). The awakening process in the United States of America had various impacts. Among them are religious configuration changes, enlargement of liberty boundaries and the split of congregations into new light {revivalists} and old light {traditionalists}. The awakening process in the U.S also leads to the formation of new religious members who include Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist, among others. The new church members at large continue to address the various inhumane cases and activities in U.S; among them are tax levies (Foner, 319). Also, they questioned the American society and authority necessitating inhumane practices.

In conclusion, the impacts of slavery in the U.S are vast, as provided in the Give Me Liberty text. Atlantic and African slave trade in the U.S necessitated American enlightenment. United States’ social and political life following the abolition of slavery was based on practical experimentation and research investigation. Slavery in the U.S also facilitated the great awakening as the vast labour provided by slave labourers fulfilled U.S’ enlightenment growth rationalism, commercial development and westward expansions. Also, slavery led to feminist origin in the U.S, prompting antislavery connections that, in the long run, drive a change in legislation principles prohibiting the slave trade. Besides that, it facilitated the rise of new crusade movements such as the American Colonization Society. Precisely, in 1816, the American Colonized Society was founded, encouraging free blacks from Western Nations such as Liberia to be colonized. The latter forced the United States of America’s various political personnel and leaders from the U.S to stop slavery.

Works Cited

Beecher, Catharine Esther. An essay on slavery and abolitionism: with reference to the duty of American females. H. Perkins, (1837): 362-364 https://doi.org/10.5479/sil.406260.39088006768675

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition. Vol. 1. WW Norton & Company, (2013).105-366. https://doi.org/10.1353/aq.1997.0041

Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom. WW Norton, (2008): 360-361. https://doi.org/10.1353/khs.2016.0007