The Truth is Revealed
Griffin Fieseler
Abolitionist Propaganda and it's Impact on the Continuation of American Democracy
The American values and beliefs in abolition was expressed through propaganda. It influenced numerous aspects of life such as, public opinion, generating rebellions, and peoples' impacts on abolition. Abolition had an impact on the continuation of American democracy through propaganda supporting the concept that the majority rules, as it gains followers and staunch. It also continues the concept of freedom of speech, because abolitionists were free to whatever they wanted to show to the public to express their emotions on slavery. That is how the propaganda that abolitionists used impacted the continuation of American democracy.
The Brookes by Thomas Clarkson
This depiction of a slave boat with hundreds of slaves packed tightly greatly influenced public opinion to encourage the abolition of slave trade.
William Cowper
This man was a famous English poet who revealed his propaganda through poems, due to the fact that most colonists were illiterate in the 1700s. His poems showed the deep depression slaves experienced.
Speeches
Speeches were a critical tactic towards abolition and spreading propaganda, such as the one of Wendell Phillips shown. They allowed speakers to share their information with emotion to persuade citizens to follow them.
What the Abolitionists used as Propaganda
Multiple pieces of information were used as propaganda during the Abolitionist Movement. Some of these were:
- the line in the Declaration of Independence saying "all men are created equal"
- a depiction of a slave ship called The Brookes (shown above) that showed hundreds of slaves packed tightly together
- First-hand accounts from former slaves about their cruel and brutal treatment
This propaganda that expressed slaves' harsh life was so soul-crushing that numerous citizens aware of it were convinced to join the Abolitionists in their fight.
How did Propaganda Affect the Outcome of the Abolitionist Movement
Without Propaganda, the Abolitionist Movement would have never succeeded. It pushed the movement forward by:
- spreading their message to the public
- convincing citizens to join their fight
- strengthening abolitionist's passion towards ending slavery