Friday, April 4, 2014

Abolition & Modern Slavery.



Let's unpack our inquiry into the abolitionist movement here. After our primary source analysis and look a "The Abolitionists" we should be ready for some critical dialogue about the protest movement. Below address the following: Who are the two abolitionists you most identify with or respect most highly? As you assess them, you should consider their actions/beliefs, where they fall along the Political Spectrum and the changes they went through during the abolitionist movement.

What would they say about the Modern Slavery in the TED Talk above? What is your response and why do you think its allowed to continue?

59 comments:

Savannah El said...

The two abolitionists that I respect most highly are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas. First, I respect Angelina Grimke highly because as a woman during a patriarchal society she went off to take part in the abolitionist movement because she thought slavery was a sin. Even despite what others thought of her, including her own family she still left her home in Charleston, where her family was among the rich and elite. But before she left home to join the abolitionist movement in the North, she was concerned about the fate of white masters and not necessarily the slaves. But as she went through her journey in the abolition movement in the North she became more concerned for the slaves. She wrote a novel, “American Slavery”, to give readers an inside look on slavery. Even when she was pregnant and exhausted, she still continued to fight for the cause of the abolitionism of slavery. She also related the right of slaves to the equality of woman. This is why I respect her highly, because as a woman during this time she got her point across to many people that wouldn't listen and fought hard to succeed.

Second, I respect Frederick Douglas because he rose up against slavery starting as slave going to a free man and an abolitionist. He was raised by his grandmother because he his father was white and his mother left him. He began his life as a slave at the age of six and first witnessed slavery as he saw a woman being whipped by her white master. He felt as though he became a man when he fought a slave broker, Edward Cubby and won when he was a teenager. Frederick Douglas escaped slavery in 1838 and left for New York. As he lived his life as a free man he hooked up with William Lloyd Garrison, another abolitionist and author of the newspaper “The Liberator” that spoke out against slavery. Douglas and Garrison traveled around as Garrison spoke about slavery and Douglas told his story as a testimony. In 1845, Douglas published the story of his life “An American Slave” by himself. He was not only none in the U.S. but also in Great Britain. Douglas even started his own newspaper, “The North Star”, in New York. This is why I respect him highly. I feel that he gave black people at this time a good reputation because he accomplished so much and escaped slavery successfully even when people tried to bring him down.

If Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas were around during current times and new that modern slavery was happening I think they would be appalled. I feel that they would try to help and stop it just like they did in the 17th century. But also knowing the facts from the TED Talk they would feel that this is a different battle of slavery now than it was in the 17th century. In the 17th century there was only a certain type of people enslaved and they only fought to destroy in the U.S. Today, slavery is worldwide and any person could become a slave. Even though this is true they would still try to help. I don’t like the idea of slavery at all and it’s sad that people are still slaves today. The fact that 27 million people are slaves is crazy. I think it’s allowing to continue because not enough people know about it, nobody knows what to do about it, they don’t care about it or nobody speaks out about it. I think it’s hard to stop slavery worldwide because it’s happening in so many places. Maybe if people in each country fought to keep it from happening, it wouldn't happen but then again this isn't a guarantee either.

Savannah El said...

*white woman (1st paragraph, 2nd sentence)

Elia Mattei said...

I admire these two men greatly because even though they both started from the bottom of the social pyramid, they did not let this stop them for fighting for what they believed in. They were willing to die for their beliefs, and I think that is such a beautiful quality. Without all their efforts and movements we would not be where we are today, almost completely free of slavery in 2014. They are two very influential and powerful men in history. I believe I can identify with them because I have been in situations where I have a different opinion than someone else but I still stick to my beliefs, instead of pretending to believe in theirs, out of fear of being different. I think we have all been there at one time or another.

I believe Douglas and Garrison would be appalled while watching this TED talk about Modern Slavery. This is exactly what they were against, and yet still thousands of years after they have died it still goes on. I could imagine them asking, Still? Why? At the same time I imagine them being grateful for the technology and organizations like TED that allow others to know about these horrors. I, myself, did not know that slavery was still going on as it is in our world today. I thought just because I am not a slave and because my friends are not slaves and because no type of slavery surrounds me, that is had been almost cleared of every other part of the world. I am terribly wrong. This video opened up my eyes in such a huge way because I was basically clueless before of how bad it still is. When I thought of modern day slavery I thought of sex trafficking which they mentioned in the video, but I did not know it still existed in such harsh ways in other places such as India and the Himalayas. Slavery is truly terrible. I can not understand why it is still allowed to continue due to people like Lisa Kristine who ran this TED talk who are so strongly against it, because there are thousands more that have the same beliefs as her. If so many people are against it, why aren't we doing something more to stop it? There are supposed to be power in numbers, but I believe the main reason slavery still continues is because no one really knows about it. The main problem is being clueless, as I was before watching this video. If you are not aware people have to live in such horrible conditions, how are you supposed to do anything about it? If you are not aware of something, you can't do anything to stop it. I think the next step in abolishing slavery is to make EVERYONE super aware of how horrible and real it is, today, in 2014. Classes like Mr. Job's African American History class does exactly this. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to become fully educated about these things, and really understand them. As soon as you fully understand something so cruel and evil such as slavery, nothing can hold you back from helping to stop it, if you believe it is truly wrong.

Taylor Chantilope said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. I respect Angelina Grimke for being white and a women. Angelina's family was the most famous family around South Carolina. Her family believed in slavery however she was the opposite. She wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison on her views of abolition and then she moved to Philadelphia. If she were to return to Charleston then she would be arrested. Grimke gave speeches about slavery and women's rights although she was authorized just to speak on slavery. She married Theodore Welds which created racial tension around Philadelphia. It led to the burning of the Pennsylvania Hall. She fell of a fever. Because of such violence they moved to New Jersey which never stopped them from speaking on what they believed on. She composed a book called "American Slavery" to show readers of slavery.

I respect William Lloyd Garrison because of his motivation to end slavery. He demanded respect and was determined to be heard. One day, during the year of 1835 he was giving a speech on abolition which caused a riot outside of the venue. He was attacked and sent to jail for his own protection where he only stayed for one night. Garrison was attacked and threatened numerous amounts of times. His newspaper "The Liberator" gave him the freedom to express his emotions towards slavery. When he was invited to Baltimore by white abolitionist, Benjamin -, he wanted abolition rapidly not gradually. Although Garrison had tough experiences with his beliefs towards abolition he never gave up.

The only way slavery still exists today is because no body cares enough to fix it. There is a reason why 27 million people around the world are enslaved today. The reason is because we are careless and we don't recognize that no matter what color, religion, or size we are, we are all humans who deserve the same rights.

Unknown said...

Two abolitionists I feel I really relate to are Angelina Grinke and William Lloyd Garrison. They both are very admirable in my opinion, and I feel very akin to them. Grimke was ambitious, outspoken, and bold but still kindhearted and wanted the best for all peoples (which is how I like to think of myself). She also was the one of the first to kick off the feminism movement, which is one of my biggest causes.
Garrison was very big on pacifism, as am I, and I think that's an amazing thing. Peaceful change is beautiful, though rare. HE was also very spiritual, kind, and moral and I think he was wonderful. He seems like a genuinely father like figure to the abolition movement and I respect him for his kindness and morality. Plus, he seems extremely intelligent. He came from nothing and somehow became the front runner of a movement. You can't do that with just will power alone, that takes brains.
If either of these two knew that slavery, though now abolished, still happened, I have no doubt they'd be horrified that such a terrible and disgusting institution lives on. Sure, it might be under-wraps and hidden, but it HAPPENS. And that's wrong.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I respect most highly are William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. I believe that Garrison was very brave, and I admire him for that. He started his own anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator (italicized), and continued to publish articles despite the fact that many Southerners disagreed and sent death threats, and even burned him in effigy! At first, Garrison believed in gradual abolition, however, his belief changed to wanting immediate abolition. On the Political Spectrum, I believe Garrison would have been a Liberal. Though at first, he was all for gradual change, but that changed to wanting change immediately, which is what Liberals want.
I admire Douglass because he was a former slave, and yet, he escaped and became a well-known speaker for the abolitionist movement. Originally, Douglass was not a speaker, he worked jobs to make ends meet. However, he did read Garrison's newspaper and went to hear him speak at a meeting in Nantucket. There, he was called up to speak, and eventually, Garrison persuaded him to become a public speaker for the cause. With Garrison as his mentor, Douglass would, of course, believe in Garrison's belief of peaceful change. However, as they started distancing from each other, and acts such as the Fugitive Slave Act being passed, Douglass did not believe that Garrison's tactics would work anymore. On the Political Spectrum, like Garrison, I believe Douglass would have been a Liberal. He definitely advocated immediate change.
If Garrison and Douglass saw the TED Talk about Modern Slavery, I think they would be disgusted. It has been a couple hundred years since their campaign, and despite the amount of time our world has been given to put down and stop these things from happening, there has not been any sort of progress. As I was watching this video, my heart was aching and breaking for all of the victims. I wondered, "Who allows this to go on? Why isn't this in the news?", and it made me feel helpless, I couldn't do anything, which in turn, made me angry. In the video are pictures of little kids who have to carry stones that probably weigh more than they do, there are pictures of children covered in dust carrying bricks on the tops of their heads, and there are kids who have been working since 1 AM, pulling in nets that weigh thousands of pounds. In my mind, I thought, "What kind of heartless person would subject kids to do this kind of work?" I thought of myself at that age, and I wanted to burst into tears. When I was the age of those kids in the video, I was playing with my friends and having fun, not doing hard labor, and that really broke mt heart.

Unknown said...

*my

Matt's Random Journeys said...

The two abolitionists that I most highly respect are William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. I respect Garrison because of the fact that, even though he was a white man, he devoted himself to the abolition of slavery. He was also a very smart speaker who was very confident in his ability to abolish slavery and he made sure that he was heard. Furthermore, Frederick Douglass became a great speaker against slavery, but that wouldn't have happened had it not been for Garrison being his mentor.
I also respect Douglass because of his superb sense of rebellion. Douglass actually managed to fight back against his owner, Edward Covey, and won the fight, causing Covey to never fight him again. He also managed to escape from slavery and become an influential speaker and writer who would end up spearheading the anti-slavery movement. I respect the fact that Douglass wanted freedom not only for slaves, but for people of all genders, races and religions. I really like the fact that he saw no difference in any type of race or person.
Much like Savannah said, if Garrison and Douglass were around to see modern slavery, they would be appalled. I'm sure they would try to find a way to solve it, but because modern-day slavery is different from 17th century slavery, there may be a few more hurdles that they would have to overcome to achieve freedom. I still think that they would try their hardest to end slavery and do their best to achieve equality. It may be difficult, but Garrison and Douglass certainly aren't bound to give up, either.

caytlen lamaj said...

Two abolitionists that I respect a lot are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas. I respect Grimke because first she was a women. There were not many women abolitionists that actually tried as hard as she did. Through this process she became pregnant also, but she never gave up. I also liked how she agreed that slavery was not right. I also respect her on giving others a chance to view slavery on a personal point. She wrote the novel "American Slavery". I also respect how she disagreed with her rich family about slavery. She later moved away, if she was ever seen back in her home town she would of been arrested. I really think she is honorable for this.

I also respect Douglas. He himself was once a slave. He fought threw slavery and escaped in 1838. William Lloyd Garrison later teamed up with him and became his mentor for public speaking about this topic. In 1845, Douglas had a story based on his life called "An American Slave". Douglas later started a newspaper called "The North Star". He had accomplished so much for a former slave. That is why I respect him a lot.

If Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas were still alive and watched the TED talk I feel like they would be disappointed. These two abolitionists did not work for a society like this, where slavery is still occurring. Although this version of slavery is not the same as it was before, it is still a serious topic. Slavery is happening world wide, much differently. 27 million people are slaves up to date. That is horrifying, it makes me sick to my stomach. I feel as not many people know that this is happening. I say if everyone speaks out on this important topic, we can make a difference, and make Grimke and Douglas proud of their accomplishments.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I most identify with are Fredrick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. I identify with Fredrick Douglas because he went against slavery as a slave a free man and an abolitionist.He escaped slavery in 1838 and went to go to New York.As he free man he came together with the another abolitionist who spoke out against slavery named William Lloyd Garrison. He was considered "The Liberator".He fist only told his story as evidence of his story as slavery he later published his life story in 1845 called "An American Slave".In New York he started his own newspaper called "The North Star". I identify with him for these reasons because he was an extremely intelligent man and got his point across through hard work and prosperity not violence.

The second person I identify with is William Lloyd Garrison.I liked his motivation and determination to end slavery.He was attacked threatened and even once put in jail but he still continued on. His newspaper "The Liberator" was a way for him to express his emotions and feelings of slavery for others to hear.In the beginning Garrison believed in gradual abolition, eventually he be to want immediate abolition. Garrison was extremely brave.Garrison would have been a Liberal for these reasons.I identify with Garrison because he was a go getter and did not take no for an answer.

If they saw the Ted talk they would be extremely disappointed. They would think its absurd that things like that are still going on they would possibly think that there protesting was a waste of time because things like that should still not be going on. As I watched the video i was in great shock. It made me feel very bad and angry. One part of the video that really shocked me was the part that showed the sex slaves. The girls looked so young and I found it even more sad that the girls just sat there as if this were normal for them. They weren't crying or weeping they were just sitting there as if they were waiting for there next customer. This is very scary that things like this go on as a normal activity. I could not even imagine how these children feel and its sad to think that these things are real and actually happening in our world.

Lea Falcione said...

I agree with Savannah. I also respect Angelina and Frederick. To make a long response shorter, I respect Angelina Grimke because she was a woman brought up in a time where slavery was "the thing" and even still she had her own opinion and fought for it, unafraid. Even though she was more interested in the well being of the white masters, I still respect her for standing up for something at all.
I respect Frederick Douglas because he was a slave who was freed and immediately, he fought for what was right: abolotion. I admire him for that because if I were in his place, once I was freed, I would not throw myself back into that pit. I would take the fact that I am now free and run with it. But, he did not. He stuck around and fought hard to see the abolotion of slavery and accomplished so much in his lifetime.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. I say this because both abolitionists spoke out against slavery, even when others didn't like them for it. Angelina Grimke came from a rich family in the south, and her father was a slave owner. She did not like the way slaves were treated and believed slavery was a sin. Eventually she left her home in South Carolina and moved to Philadelphia. Grimke was reluctant to join the abolitionist movement at first, but she decided she needed to speak up against the violence on slaves. She sent a letter to Garrison about her views and let him publish it. Her friends and family told her to take it back, but she wouldn't do it. I respect Angelina Grimke because she spoke her mind no matter what other people said. She wrote an appeal to women in the south, even though other southerners didn't like it. When talking about abolition, she refused to stop speaking in front of men, even though people told her to. She also linked women's rights with the rights of slaves and spoke at Pennsylvania Hall, while people told her to stop and mobs attacked the hall. Grimke encouraged other people to speak up and she stood by her beliefs even when they weren't supported.
I respect William Lloyd Garrison because he was able to make a big impact on the abolitionist movement, and like Grimke, stood by his beliefs. Garrison did not have a very good childhood; both parents left when he was young and he was poor. In Boston, he met someone who wanted to make an antislavery newspaper, and in 1829 he moved to Baltimore to work for them. At first, Garrison believed in gradual abolition and thought the freed slaves would be sent back to Africa. Then he came in contact with the Black community and changed his vision. He wanted immediate abolition and for slavery to end. He spoke out on his views, and made many enemies. He was even thrown in jail, and when he was bailed out in 1840, he had nothing. Garrison decided to make his own newspaper, and soon gained allies and supporters. He was involved in African American societies to help abolition and published "The Liberator". His paper was disliked by many and some thought it was related to Nat Turner's rebellion. People were burning his material and violence was spreading to the North, but he still wrote about abolition. He was attacked by mobs and put in danger, but he still protested slavery. I respect him because he was determined to end slavery and voice his opinion. Also, he encouraged others, including Fredrick Douglas, to speak up as well.
I think Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison would be upset with the slavery in the TED talk. I think they would speak out against it, just like they did with slavery back then. I also, believe they would encourage others to join them in going against the slavery. Both spoke to lots of people about their ideas on abolition and rights, and I think they would do the same today.
I agree with others that slavery exists because people are careless. I think too many people are uneducated on the subject. I myself did not realize how bad it was until I watched the TED talk. More people need to know about the slavery that is going on today and speak out against it. Slavery is allowed to continue because not enough people are doing something about it. I think it is horrible that there are still people that enslave others, and that there is nothing being done about it. If more people know about what is going on, there is no reason it cannot be stopped.

Nicolette Alessi said...

One abolitionist I am going to talk about is Angelina Grimke. She is a white woman from Charlestown. As a young girl she saw the wronging of owning a person and forcing to go against its free will. She was concerned about the fate of white masters. She saw slavery as a sin and said God would punish slave owners. In 1836 she wrote the pamphlet “An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South”. This caused a big commotion. She sent her letters to William Lloyd Garrison and he published them in his newspaper the Liberator. They realized they had similar beliefs. One day her sister and her left Charlestown and moved to Philadelphia.They were a part of the Philadelphia Female Anti Slavery Society. They spoke at gatherings to men and women and spoke of the wronging of slavery. Angelina heard of another abolitionist named Theodore Weld and went to one of his meetings. They talked afterwards and Angelina really liked him. When Angelina got a terrible fever Theodore wrote to her. In letter he said “I loved you from first moment I met you”. Later on, they got married. They created many enemies. A mob burned down Philadelphia hall to take out there anger of them. They moved to New Jersey to be safer but never gave up dream for slavery to end.

Another abolitionist I am going to talk about is William Lloyd Garrison. He was a white man who had an intense Christian sense of right and wrong. When he was two, his dad left him. He was a very poor man growing up. He was working at the National Philanthropist in 1828 but at same time he decided to a have conference with Benjamin Lundy. The antislavery editor of the Genius of Emancipation showed the reason of abolition to his eyes. Garrison went to Vermont when Lundy gave him a job as an editor at Genius of Emancipation. This employment displayed Garrison’s beginning interest in the Abolitionist movement. In 1830 William started his own paper called the Liberator. This newspaper was like our modern day face book. It gave opinions and news about what’s happening in world. He used a lot of moral suasion in his paper. One memorable quote from paper was “I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD.” This to me makes me see him as a little crazy or obsessed. But I admire him being so passionate about the cause. Especially since Garrison is a white man. He made a lot of enemies. In 1835 a group of white men attacked Garrison. Garrison started to blame the churches for slavery. Garrison also had a big influence on a well known abolitionist named Fredrick Douglas. Like Angelina, he never gave up on his dream. In 1865 he published the final issue of the Thirteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment made slavery banned in the north and south of the United States.

If Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison saw that TED talk they would be deeply disturbed. They would be happy with success over years but very sad about the slavery in world still happening. From there graves they would still talk about the wronging of slavery if they could. If they were still alive today they could use technology advances to spread the wronging of slavery point all over the world. The fact that millions of people are still enslaved is really shameful.

Gianna DeSimone said...

I'm most interested in Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. With Grimke, I respect her for leaving the lap of luxury and her family in Charleston because she did not agree with slavery. When we went to the North, she became more radical and wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison about her anti-slavery views. Garrison published her letter in "The Liberator" and it caused controversy, even her sister was put off by it. However, she did not back down on her abolitionist beliefs, which was something that took courage from anyone back then but especially a woman. I also respect her for being an outspoken feminist, which was also brave at that time.
I respect William Lloyd Garrison because he was a white man openly opposed to slavery. While that may sound simplistic, a white man devoting himself to equality for blacks was uncommon and a courageous thing to do. He published "The Liberator" without fear of consequences that would come. Even when an angry mob attacked him, he was not silenced and kept his view that slavery should be solved with nonviolence. He caused even more to be unsettled by being an advocate for women's rights, which is always respectable in my book.
Grimke and Garrison would be outraged at the slavery that is happening today. I have a feeling that Grimke would be speaking at things like TED talks, since she gave speeches during her time. I think Garrison would still want to abolish the slavery with nonviolence and he would run a blog instead of a newspaper. My response to this modern slavery is horror. I think it continues today because, mainly, not many people know about it. But, even if they did know about it, trying to abolish slavery in another country would be a tricky business. I suppose that in the end, it all comes down to politics.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I admire the most are Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas. I admire Angelina Grimke for being a white woman. Her family was very well known. Angelina's family was the most famous family around South Carolina. Angelina was not a big fan in slavery, but her family on the other hand was very big into slavery. Another thing that I respect about Angelina is how determined and brave she is. I find it brave that she wrote a very powerful letter. She wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison on her views of abolition and how she felt about it. Then after that she later on moved to Philadelphia. She found out that if she were to return home back to Charleston then she would be arrested, so she deiced to stay in Philadelphia. Angelina Grimke gave multiple, moving speeches about slavery and women's rights. I think her speeches were moving because she used facts and her options to help better knowledge others. Even though she was only authorized to just speak on slavery. Angelina had a pretty good life. She got married later on to Theodore Welds. He created racial tension around Philadelphia, which later on led to the burning of the Pennsylvania Hall. Angelina and Theodore then moved away from Philadelphia. They had to leave because of violence. They moved to New Jersey. Angelina never stopped from making speeches and voicing her option. She even wrote a book called "American Slavery" to inform readers of slavery. These are just some of the many reasons why I admire Angelina Grimke.

The second abolitionist that I admire is Fredrick Douglas. I admire Fredrick Douglas because he went against slavery. He had a pretty hard life compared to Angelina Grimke. He was a slave, and then later on was freed and that’s when he became an abolitionist. He was able to escape slavery in 1838 and after he escaped he went to go to New York. When he became free, he started to work with other abolitionist who shared the same options of slavery as him. They would speak out against slavery. The other abolitionist that he worked with name was William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison was considered "The Liberator". I admire Fredrick Douglas because he was a strong man who had a hard life and made the best of it and overcame his baggage. He was freed from slavery and became a very well-known abolitionist that people recognize today.


I believe that if Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas were alive today and seen modern slavery and watched this TED talk they would be beside themselves. I know at least I would, especially because they worked their whole lives to make points on how slavery is wrong and how it should be stopped. I believe that slavery still exists today because no one really cares about it to help stop it or people just don’t know that it still goes on. There are about 27 million people that are still enslaved today. This number is way too high. I also think that if they came together they would try and find a way to fix it, because slavery today is not as bad as it was back then, but it still exist and it still needs to be stopped. Even though it may be difficult I think that they could let put an end to it

Madison Milano said...

The two abolitionists that I took a liking to the most are most are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison I think that Angelina Grimke was such an amazing women. The fact that she was a woman who was an abolitionist during this time is truly remarkable. Grimke took part in being an abolitionist because she had different views on slavery. She took a more religious approach and believed that slavery was a sin. She was a very independent woman despite what others said she always stayed true to her opinion. That is something very admirable considering her family even had bad things to say to her. Grimke left her wealthy home roots and moved out of Charleston. Even before she left her house she was deep concern for white masters. As she underwent the process in the abolition movement she then was also worried about the slaves. Grimke wrote a novel that was titled “American Slavery.” This was extremely helpful to those who read and continue to read it because it gives them a personal view on slavery and I believe that personal views are always good to have. Grimke was a strong girl who fought for what she believed in, she even touched on women right and equality. She is someone who I respect very much.

William Lloyd Garrison is defiantly someone I also greatly respect. He was so determined and focused. He knew he wanted to end slavery and he had so much motivation. He really wanted to make a difference. A large riot started on day when he was giving a speech in 1835. The speech was on abolition. Garrison was attacked defenselessly, and then sent to jail. He then wrote “The Liberator” which was a newspaper that granted him the power to get views about slavery across to people. I respect Garrison so much because he is a prime example who despite the obstacles in his life, he never gave up.

If these two were still here today were told that there is still slavery going on I think that they would be devastated. It really is such a shame that still to this day, this hour, and this minute, people are enslaved. We are all humans and we all have the same amount of potential. No one should be able to take someone’s rights away. It is actually sickening to think about, luckily today, there are more people who see how horrible this is and more and more people can take action.

Samantha Iannuzzi said...

Two abolitionists that I took admiration for the most were Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. In my opinion, I feel as though both of the abolitionists would appreciate this TED talk about Modern Slavery. I did not know that slavery was still being dealt with to this day in the world that we live in. TED talks such as the one above allows us to understand more about slavery. If both If Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison saw that TED talk they would be deeply disturbed. They would be glad with the success that was achieved over the past years, but would feel heartbreaking to know that slavery has not ended and still continues to go on throughout parts of the world still to this day. The fact that millions of people are still enslaved is really shameful. Slavery could only possibly still exist and have effect on the world today with the fact that people do not stand up for a change. They don’t see what other people around them go through; therefore they do not take the initiative to fix anything.

Angelina Grimke was a white abolition from Charlestown. As a young girl she believed that it was wrong for a human to not only another human but also for a person to be forced into slavery. She was concerned about the fate of white masters. She saw slavery as a sin and said God would punish slave owners. In 1836 she wrote the pamphlet “An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South”. This caused a big commotion. She sent her letters to William Lloyd Garrison and he published them in his newspaper, “The Liberator.” They realized they had similar beliefs. Angelina heard of another abolitionist named Theodore Weld and she decided to attend a meeting of his. They talked afterwards and Angelina really liked him.
William Lloyd Garrison was a white abolition who had an intense Christian sense of right and wrong. When he was two, he was abandoned by his own father. Garrison was known to be a fairly poor man growing up. For a while, he worked at the National Philanthropist in 1828 but at same time he decided to a have conference with Benjamin Lundy. Garrison later decided to take a trip to Vermont when Lundy gave him a job as an editor at Genius of Emancipation which displayed his beginning interest in the Abolition Movement. Garrison started his own paper called the Liberator in 1830. This newspaper was known to be much like our modern day face book. It gave opinions and news about the latest events that were going on all around the world. He used a lot of moral suasion in his paper. One memorable quote from paper was “I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD.” In my opinion, I found this particular quote to be interesting. I part where he states, “I will be heard” tells me that he always had opinion and no matter what he would stand up and face the world for what he wanted. He was not afraid to stand up for his rights and by doing so he wanted to help make the world become a better place. Garrison never gave up on his dream. In 1865 he published the final issue of the Thirteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment made slavery banned in the north and south of the United States.


Frankie Sangiuliano said...

The two abolitionist that I respect most are Angelina Grimke and Fedrick Douglas. I respect Angelina Grimke because she thought that slavery was a sin when she took part in the abolitionist movement. Even though she left her family to go to the abolitionist movement, where her and her family was rich. She was concerned about the white masters not the slaves. While she was in her journey through the abolitionist movement she wrote a book called, "American Slavery", this book was to show people how it really was on her perspective of slavery. Even when she was pregnant she still fought for the cause of the abolitionist movement.

I respect Fedrick Douglas because he had his own opinion on slavery, even though he was against slavery. He started a slave and ended up a free man. He was raised by his grandmother; his father was white and his mother left him. He started out as a slave when he was six. He first witnessed the real idea of ska very when he saw a woman being whipped. Fedrick Douglas escaped and was free in 1838 and went to New York. When in New York he meant a guy named William Lloyd Garrison; Garrison wrote a newspaper called, "The Liberator". The newspaper he wrote was about how he was against slavery. They traveled around and spoke a about how they felt about slavery, which led to Douglas telling his story about his testimony. Douglas published his own story about his like as a slave and called it, "An American Slave".

If Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas were around today I think they would try to help and stop what's happening now, just like they tried to stop it in the 17th century. From the facts in the TED talk I feel as though Grimke and Douglas would think of how it is now as a different kind of slavery, compared to the 17th century. In the 17th century there was only certain people that were enslaved and those people only fought to destroy the US. But, today it's all around the world anybody can become a slave, no matter the color or race. I don't think slavery is right. I feel like everybody should be free, God didn't put them on Earth to help somebody else and make them be ruled by somebody else. We were all made equal to help ourselves and to be free. I think slavery is still l going on because not everyone in the works think it's still going on and most people don't know what to do about it or how to help it. I think the only way for there to be a little difference in slavery is if everyone in their country helps to kind of stop it from happening to even more people.

Julia Fiorelli said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas. I respect Angelina Grimke for many reasons. To start, one being that see is a female and there were not a lot of female abolitionist at all, Grimke tried and fought so hard for what she wanted. She faced many struggles throughout her journey, like getting pregnant but that didn't stop her. She was a very understanding women, she gave others a chance to express hat they personally thought about slavery. Although Angelina's family was rich she stood up for what she believed in and disagreed with them about slavery. Grimke was the author of "American Slavery". She later on left her home town, if she were to ever show up there she would be arrested which to me shows how strong this women really was.

Another abolitionist I respect is, Frederick Douglas. I respect Douglas a lot because of what he went through but yet still made it. Douglas was once a slave himself, but escaped and became a speaker for the abolitionist movement. Douglas later on met William Lloyd Garrison who is another abolitionist and author of the newspaper "The Liberator". Garrison took Douglas with him and they traveled while Garrison spoke about slavery and Douglas told his story. Later, in 1845 Douglas published a story about his life called "An American Slave". Then he started his own newspaper called "The North Star" in New York. Douglas accomplished so much throughout his life and overcame so many struggles this is why I respect him highly.

I feel as though if Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas were around now seeing what it is like now with modern slavery they would try to stop it just as they did before. However, I feel as though it is very different now then it was before. In our time today anyone could be a slave no matter what you look like, back then there were only certain people. I myself am completely against slavery and think it is horrible. I don't think enough people know what is going on or have enough knowledge of it to speak out and try to help it.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Two abolitionists that I greatly respect and admire are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. Angelina Grimke was a female abolitionist from Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston’s aristocracy at the time was one of the wealthiest. However, Angelina did not see it this way. She considered it an “empire of sin.” Grimke grew up in a household that owned their own personal slaves. Angelina attacked slavery because she believed that slavery was a sin. She agreed with the idea that God would punish anyone who owned slaves. Grimke was fearless and finally left for the North 1829. At the time, this act was considered “disobedience to proper society, to the South, to the church.” Grimke settled in Philadelphia. Angelina struggled with the idea of outward rebellion against “proper society,” but finally decided to join the fight abolition. Grimke sent a letter to Garrison and agreed to have it published. Angelina was not afraid to voice her opinion from then on. She wrote an appeal to the women of the South and spoke in front of both men and women, which was at the time forbidden.

I strongly admire Angelina Grimke because of her dedication towards the antislavery movement. Women at the time did not strike out, especially Southern white women. Angelina was rebellious and her actions were risky. She was not only an abolitionist, but also a supporter of women’s rights and part of the Philadelphia Female Antislavery Society. Grimke was not afraid to appeal to others. She appealed to women and told them to speak up. Angelina urged them and convinced them that women could potentially make a difference. Despite the risks, Grimke did not back down. She stood up for what she believed in and used determination to resist society.

William Lloyd Garrison is another abolitionist that I have great respect for. In 1829, he took a job in a newspaper in Baltimore. William supported immediate abolition. Garrison viewed slavery as an extremely degrading practice. Because of this, he was thrown in prison but eventually bailed out by a New York sympathizer. Garrison was influential through the newspaper. He created his own newspaper known as “The Liberator” to promote abolition. It caused agitation in society, but William still managed to gain supporters. Garrison was not afraid of the “white man” and made his point without fearing the consequences. His bravery and drive towards antislavery is what I admire most about him. Grimke and Garrison were Liberals; they wanted change, and they wanted it urgently. These individuals were not afraid to “rock the boat” in a political sense. They spoke out and focused on what was most important to them.

If Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison viewed the TED Talk discussing modern slavery, I think they would be upset. I saw this because they both are advocates for the abolishment of slavery. Although things have changed over time, things remain the same in a sense. I feel as though both Grimke and Garrison would be disappointed especially because although slavery is illegal everywhere, it still exists everywhere in the world.

Justine Pietrzyk said...

algeThe two abolitionists that I respect most highly are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas. I respect Angelina Grimke because being a woman during a patriarchal society was probably extremely tough. She went off to take part in the abolitionist movement because she thought slavery was a sin. Despite what others thought of her, including her own family she still left to stand up for what she believed in. Grimke was already set she came from a wealthy family in Charleston. She didn’t need to do what she did but she took a stand and I admire her for that. As she went through her journey in the abolition movement in the North she became more concerned for the slaves. Grimke wrote a novel, “American Slavery”, to give readers an inside look on slavery. She still continued to fight for the cause of the abolitionism of slavery, pregnant and all. She also related the right of slaves to the equality of woman. This is why I respect her. As a woman during this time she got her point across to many people that wouldn't listen and fought hard to succeed.


I admire Douglass because he was a former slave, and yet, he escaped and became a well-known speaker for the abolitionist movement. Douglass read Garrison's newspaper and went to hear him speak at a meeting in Nantucket. There, he was called up to speak. He was not a speaker. But, he spoke and eventually, Garrison persuaded him to become a public speaker for the cause. Douglass and Garrison worked together on speaking. When time came they were drifting apart, and eventually after time they were separated. After time of being separated and the Fugitive Act being passed, Douglass started to realize he did not believe Garrison’s tatic would work anymore. On the Political Spectrum, like Garrison, I believe Douglass would have been a Liberal. He definitely advocated immediate change. It has been a couple hundred years since their campaign, and despite the amount of time our world has been given to put down and stop these things from happening, there has not been any sort of progress.

If Grimke or Douglas were around in today’s time I think they would be mortified at this video. I believe that they would fight to stop it just like they did in the 17th hundreds.

Unknown said...

In my opinion, the two most respected abolitionists are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas. I feel like I can really relate to them both; because the both of them are very admirable and dedicated. My reasoning for having a lot of respect for Angelina Grimke was because she fought and fought the most she could even though she was a female. I respect those who go after and fight for what they think is right. Angelina Grimke had her own opinion and even fought for what she thought was right, she stood up to those who didn’t believe in her and that is why I respect her.

I also respect Frederick Douglas very much. Frederick at one time was a slave and was able to free himself in 1838. He also rose up and took a stand against slavery. Soon after Frederick freed himself and he moved to New York, he connected with William Lloyd Garrison as they traveled together working as a team both telling their story and talking in depth about slavery. Douglas later created his own bibliography and created his own newspaper and that’s why I respect him most. After all that he went through all of his life from being a little boy being surrounded by slavery and war, coming out successfully in his life writing and affecting other people he came out on top of the odds and defeated all bad things. I feel like slavery still exists in our society today because people don’t care, it’s very sad to say but that’s how it is. There is an extreme amount of enslaved people still to this day. People just do not understand that no matter what you look like, what religion you may be, or what color your skin tone is; we are all human beings that deserve equal rights. I admire both of these individuals very highly for all they went through, and all they have accomplished in helping our world today, and I’m sure if Angelina and Frederick were both around this current day, they would be still fighting slavery and trying to end all inequality.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

At the beginning of this video I would have unquestionably chosen William Lloyd Garrison (WLG) as my favorite abolitionist from the video, and then two things happened. First I watched the way he fell out with Fredrick Douglass and then I saw John Brown enter the picture.
When William Garrison fell out with Fredrick Douglass It struck me the wrong way. I felt like WLG wanted to keep Fredrick Douglass on a leash, almost like a prize winning horse which only WLG could ride. The second reason Garrison was pushed out of my top spot was John Brown.
John Brown was as radical as they come. I liked the way that he seemed to be sickened so much by the institution of slavery that he was willing to end it using any means, including violence. I really respected that he was a man of action who had a his goal focused on immediate emancipation. Another thing about him that made me respect him was that in the video it stated that he was one of the abolitionists that believed in racial equality. I admit, I do not agree with his use of violence but the Civil War proved that it was the only way. John Brown was exactly like the Hannibal that was to liberate the slaves in the fact that he started a bloody battle to free blacks but was overtaken when he was abandoned by his allies, the only difference being that he was white. John Brown was a man with impeccable conviction towards his cause which made me respect him highly. I really wished blacks had rallied behind him after he captured the federal armory so he could see his bloody revolt realized and slavery abolished.
The second abolitionist who I came to respect highly was Harriet Stow. I never really saw her as an abolitionist but simply a person who used her pain to sympathize with black mothers who had their children torn away from them like. I respect the way that she was able to connect the personal loss of her son Charlie to mothers in slavery. This culminated in Uncle Tom's Cabin which was possibly the most successful book in America, ever. The gained my respect by using her personal pain to try and help people she thought would be put through terrible ordeals, similar to hers.
If John Brown saw the TED Talk about modern slavery he would not say anything. After calling the moving pictures on the television an unholy act against God he would go out to a store and buy an older model shotgun. He then would proceed to hunt down someone who was practicing slavery and shoot them in the face. John Brown would not say anything, he would just continue executing people connected to the slave trade until he was shot, probably like twenty times, and then he would die. There would be no word which he could utter to convey his anger that slavery was allowed to continue on for so long.
I think Harriet Stow's reaction would not change in any way. Everything she had to say about the situation would be conveyed in book. Just like before she would channel the pain brought upon by her Charlie's, her son, death. She would then write a book the illustrated the destruction of families, anguish of mothers, and general sadness brought about by slavery.

Marcus Cummings said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are Frederick Douglas and Angelina Grimke. I am going to start with Frederick Douglas. Douglas was a slave, after escaping he became the leader of the abolitionist movement. He escaped in 1838 and went to New York. He started slavery at the age of six. Douglas was raised by grandmother. It was hard being raised by his parents because his father was white and his mother left him.

Secondly, I respect Angelina Grimke because she was the support of the women's suffrage movement. She sent a letter to William Lloyd Garrison that was published in The Liberator. She argued for the injustice of denying freedom to an y man or woman, and was particularly eloquent on the problem of racial prejudice. She was challenged to speaking to mixed audiences of men and women in 1837 she was joined by her sister, Sarah, and they both fiercely defended women's rights. Grimke married Theodore Weld in 1838. He was an abolitionist himself.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I admired are William Lloyd Garrison and Angelina Grimke. William Lloyd Garrison was determined and never gave up. He wanted to put an end to slavery and he was highly motivational. A large riot started on day when he was giving a speech in 1835. The speech was about abolition. Garrison was beat defenselessly and helplessly, sent to jail. He wrote The Liberator, a newspaper that helped him continue spread the word and views about slavery. Garrison is respected in my book because through all he went through fighting for the freedom of blacks he never gave up .
I also respect Grimke because she grew up in a time when slavery was cool and she disagreed with that. Not only that, she was a woman. She thought slavery was a sin. She didn’t care about what other people thought of her. Also, she was strong, even when she was pregnant she continued to fight for the freedom of slaves. I liked what Savannah said “as a woman during this time she got her point across to many people that wouldn't listen and fought hard to succeed.” I like this because being a women with an opinion in this time period was very hard, and not only did Grimke have an opinion it was heard and she fought hard and worked hard to succeed.
I think the abolitionist would be upset and furious about the TED talk. I think they would speak out against it, just like they did with slavery back then. I also, believe they would encourage others to join them in going against the slavery. Both have experience with fighting out about this and I think both of them would speak out against it, as they did before.
I agree with others that say slavery exists because people are careless. More people need to know about the slavery that is going on today and speak out against it. Slavery is allowed to continue because not enough people care enough to do something about it. I think it is outrageous that there are still people that enslave others, and that there is nothing being done about it. If more people knew and cared more about It, I think it could be stopped.

Unknown said...

Two abolitionists that I respect most highly are William Llyod Garrison and Angelina Grimke. I highly respect William Lloyd Garrison because he was a white man that I believed worked harder to spread the truth of slavery through his newspaper "The Liberator". He protested nonstop and never gave up. I admire that even though Douglas left him, they reconciled after a few years because they knew that the real enemy was ending slavery. I admire that even though Garrison has almost died several times, he never stopped speaking out against slavery.

I respect Angelina Grimke for standing up against slavery in that time because it was hard for her coming from a rich family who did not approve of her decisions. I admire that she truly got her christian side and decided to do something about it. I find it so brave of her to speak out and leave her family. I also find how brave it was when she kept speaking in the Hall during the mob raid. I believed that she was also fighting for the women's rights and this impressed me even more. Overall I was very pleased by her attitude and her never ending strive for equality.

If Garrison and Grimke saw the clip from TED Talk, I think that they both would be shocked because now that slaves were free, there were still people out of the United States in slavery. A type of slavery that was different. It was a heartbreaking realization that there was still slavery outside this country, little African boys taken from their homes and forced to be a slave. All these innocent people that cannot do anything for themselves, need help.

Unknown said...

I really admire a lot of these abolitionists. Even John Brown, despite his violent way of doing things, I have a bit of respect for as well. However, the two abolitionists that I think deserve the most respect is Angelina Grimke and William Garrison, for much of the same reasons as Gianna DeSimone stated.
Angelina Grimke was, not only a Southern white woman, but also a Southern white woman who had everything she could possibly want in her life. She was beyond rich; her family owned so many slaves that they never even have to pass their own salt and pepper to each other during dinnertime and let their slaves do it for them, let alone do actual work themselves. Despite this, she left behind this easy, luxurious life and followed in what her heart believed to be right. I have to admit, given an opportunity to be in her shoes, I might not have done the same thing. Not only that, but she was also a woman, and during that time the voices of women were not viewed as important as the voices of white men. Despite all of this, she still set off on her own and worked to abolish slavery for the good of humanity. I think that's very noble and admirable of her, and I fully respect her for this.
I admire and respect William Lloyd Garrison for still caring about abolishing slavery despite being a white man who does not really need to concern himself with a matter like that. I understand that he really does not have to involve himself in the abolition of slavery. He's a white man living in the 1800s; he has never had the misfortune of having his family forcefully taken away from him in front of his very own eyes, or helplessly watched as his wife was beat mercilessly by another man. Not to mention, as a white man enjoying the freedom that comes with it, he has more to lose by joining this movement rather than to gain. This was made real clear as people started to symbolize him as a traitor, an enemy, and grew violent with him (the people who gathered into a mob and nearly killed him, the anti-abolitionist Southerners that went so far as to burn him in effigy, and many more). Even still, he fought, and he fought using reason and nonviolent methods. He created his own newspaper, entitled "The Liberator", and demanded immediate action against slavery without having stooped so low as using the same methods of destruction and fear that the Southerners did. It's a lot easier, I think, to carry a gun and point it at people who disagree with you, but it's much more civilized and difficult to peacefully and reasonably persuade others why your ideas are right. And that is why I respect Garrison as well.
I think they would be appalled, and maybe a little heartbroken, to watch the TED Talk and learn of the atrocities that is modern slavery, still going on even in our own backyard. Nearly 200 years have passed, and still we are fighting for the cause that they fought during their lifetimes. Even I am saddened by this fact.
I personally am not shocked, as it is not the first time I heard of it (and I just have a pessimistic view of the world anyways), but it certainly saddens me. It has been about 200 years after the time of Grimke and Garrison, and yet we're still fighting this war against enslaving others. Men, women, and even children, who are forced to work these laborious tasks under severely alarming conditions, and some of them do not even know that they are enslaved because it has happened for as long as they can remember, that they have no basis of comparison. What a depressing fact...
What this all boils down to, the reason for the continuation of all this, is people's greed for money, and that makes it even more depressing a fact. The fact that people are willing to reduce others to such a pitiful state for a couple of manufactured metals and paper... It's painfully heartbreaking, I think.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I respect the most are Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. First off I respect the black male that was named Frederick Douglas. He was raised by his grandmother until the age of six when he entered the world of slavery. At this young age he had to watch his mother be whipped as he sat in silence without being able to help. Finally a couple years later Douglas stood up for himself against a slave broker named Edward C. During this time this was such a life threatening risk that Douglas took because after the slave broker could have killed him. He beat the slave broker so bad that he never pushed him around again. He later planned his escape with Ana Murray, where he later worked o shipyards. He got together with William Garrison after hearing about his speech that was going to be made and reading "The Liberator." He eventually told his story as a testimony and later created his own newspaper called "The North Star." Frederick Douglas was one of my highly respected abolitionists because he fought for what he believed in, knowing the risk of being caught and enslaved again. After watching all that happened to his mother he felt as if he was the only one who could end these violent years of slavery. That's why I highly respect him.
The second abolitionist that I also highly respect goes by the name William Lloyd Garrison. He was a white male whose father abandoned him when he was only two years old. His mom also left to find work to try and support the family. He believed in Christian ways as well. He was of a lower class and wanted to take a stand against slavery. As soon as he was released from prison he started up a newspaper that abolished slavery. This news paper was called "The Liberator." Which was first created in 1831. In this first page he says, "I WILL BE HEARD.", showing his anger and drive to abolish slavery. He was later assigned to write a charter using moral suasion. Then more than 20,000 pamphlets were passed out which caused an uproar of 3,000 people to burn slave material and a fake dummy of Garrison. Garrison was also surrounded by many people who wanted to kill him, until he was saved by the city. He met up with a newly free black man named Frederick Douglas who helped him get the word out to abolish slavery. This is why I highly respect him. He was of he lower class and has been through so much with his own life, but still wanted to help the blacks. Also he was a white male, who usually were the masters of slaves, and for him to be going against that is a big thing. He pushed Frederick Douglas to help him abolish slavery and realize that he was one of the only blacks who could actually help. I also give him a lot of create in not letting the people surrounding him who wanted to kill him for his actions, get in the way of continuing with his actions.
The Modern Slavery in the TED talk is such a disgrace. I think it is really important that this talk was created because so many people have no idea that this is going on right now. I don't think people are allowing it to continue because not enough people know about it to make a stand against it. I so think it is so sad how from birth kids are enslaved and have to do labor for 14 hours a day. I think its amazing as well that most of these enslaved people have no idea that they are actually being enslaved. The quote said by Lisa Kristine in the TED talk, "My camera is getting better treatment than these people.", really impacted me. It made me realize and think about the struggles people are going through every day and no one is able to stop it. The fact that today there are 27 million people currently enslaved is insane. Its mind blowing that slavery till today is still going on.

Winter Rose said...

The abolitionist I most identify with is Frederick Douglass. I most identify with him because although he believed slavery should not have compelled abolitionists to use violence he had a vigor no one else had. And, out of the abolitionists highlighted in this movie he was the African-American that was talked about the most, not to say that other African-Americans were less important, but he was the one that risked being thrown back into slavery. He was the one with the personal anecdotes. But, his blackness was not enough for me to see him as a radical. There were many blacks like Nat Turner and David Walker who fit that description much better. I think it would be more appropriate to call him a liberal because he did go against the status quo (which is what pro-slavery politicians wanted to protect) but he wasn't calling for riots or insurrections. However, he didcome to the conclusion that speeches and petitions may not be enough to end slavery and it was evident when he said, "It is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake."

The abolitionist I respect the most is Angelina Grimke. From the outside looking in, there was little room for her to empathize with the slaves. In fact, I'm almost certain that, in the beginning, she was more concerned with slave owners and whether they'd be punished by God for treating slaves the way that they did. But, to see her change throughout the film is amazing. And, not only did she promote the rights of slaves but also the rights of women. She believed that "women could do, and would do, a hundred times more for the slave if she were not shackled..." What a dangerous thing for a white Southern heiress to do? She even referred to slaves as her "countrymen" and the female slaves as her "sisters in bonds". On top of that, her wedding to Theodore Weld, who was also an abolitionist, was done in front of a mixed audience and she gave a speech while the PA Hall was being pelted by an angry mob and aid, "What is the mob? What would the breaking of every window be -- any evidence that we are wrong, or that slavery is a good and wholesome institution?" Although, she didn't murder supporters of slavery like John Brown she was a radical because, as a woman, she had no business integrating with black people or giving speeches to audiences filled with men. She left her lavish life to work her life away at some low-paying job. And because of this, I believe that the only thing more radical than blacks taking a stand against slavery is for the poorest or richest, male or female whites to do the same.

I think both Douglass and Grimke would be disturbed by the fact that any form of slavery but, I doubt they'd be surprised. Douglass knew that people like President Lincoln cared nothing for ending slavery and he would equate the attitudes of members of the slave power with some current politicians. Grimke, in particular, would not be shocked by the sexual trafficking, in particular, because women were vulnerable in her time and couldn't do things like vote until long after her death. But, they'd be happy to know that people of this generation are speaking out against slavery and learning from leaders like themselves to keep American and the World from making the same mistakes over and over again.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I respect deeply are Fredrick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. I respect Fredrick Douglas because he was a strong man when terrible things happened to him. His first experience with slavery was very haunting; he was six when he saw a woman get whipped by her master. His mother left and his father was white, so his grandmother raised him. Douglas eventually escaped slavery. He befriended Garrison who helped him and together they traveled, telling Douglas’s story. It was very brave of Douglas to go around and explaining his story to everyone over and over again, it must have been really hard emotionally. Douglas eventually published the narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglas in 1845, which ended up being a best seller! His master even read it and threatened to track him down. Douglas fled to Britain and made lots of friends who gave him money to start his own anti slave newspaper. Douglas went through a lot in his lifetime and accomplished great things along the way.

I respect William Lloyd Garrison because he was a very helpful man during the abolitionist movement. He was one of the main reasons why Fredrick Douglas became so famous and successful. Garrison didn’t have the best childhood, his father abandoned him as a young boy. Garrison believed that slavery was a crime between God and man. His friends were offended by his beliefs but that didn’t stop him in fighting. He moved to Baltimore and envisioned blacks living life in liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He didn’t care about the consequences and had more black supporters than white supporters. He also made his own newspaper called “The Liberator.” He suggested that Douglas speak about his experience and really helped his career take flight.

I think if both of these men saw the Ted Talk they would be speechless. It’s a sin that slavery still exists everywhere in the world but is illegal everywhere in the world. It would be like a big slap in the face because they worked their whole lives fighting for slavery to end...yet its still happening.

Amelia Alexander said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. First and foremost, I respect Angelina Grimke mostly because she was a white woman who stood up for what she believed in, and took part in the abolitionist movement. Her family were strong believers in slavery, however, she was against it. She traveled to the North leaving her rich family behind in order to take part in the abolitionist movement. In my opinion, she was an extremely brave woman. Grimke wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison discussing her views on slavery and how it was wrong. She delivered speeches to the public not only on her views of slavery, but also about woman's rights. She wrote a letter to her loved one, Theodore Welds, saying how much she thought he disliked her. To her surprise, he responded with how much he actually loved her. Later on, she married Welds. This created racial tension, which led to the burning of Pennsylvania Hall. They moved to New Jersey to get away from the violence. Even when she was pregnant, she never stopped fighting for the rights of slaves. Grimke wrote a novel called “American Slavery” which discussed slavery. During that time period, it was difficult to fight for your rights as a woman. I highly respect her because of it.
In addition, William Lloyd Garrison is another abolitionist that I highly respect. Garrison was motivated to abolish slavey. When he was just a little boy, he was abandoned by his father, and taken care of by his grandmother. Because of his views on slavery, he was put into jail. He was later bailed out by a New Yorker. Later on, he traveled to Vermont where Lundy gave him his first job as an editor at Genius of Emancipation. In 1830, he discussed his views on slavery and about abolitionists themselves through his newspaper called “The Liberator”. Even though his partner Frederick Douglas abandoned him, he continued to fight for the rights of slaves. Nothing stopped Garrison from fighting against slavery, and that is what I truly admired about him and who he was as a person. Garrison published his the Thirteenth amendment in 1865, which abolished slavery in the north and south of the U.S.
I agree with Cayley. If Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison were to see the TED talk above, they would be disgusted and disappointed. After all of the hard work they did to abolish slavery, I think it would make them upset to hear people totally disregarding everything they did. People do not care that slavery is illegal. It is sad to say that human trafficking still exists in the modern day world.

Unknown said...

My up most favorable two abolitionists that I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas, as most people agree above. My first impression of Angelina Grimke was not as strong as it I feel about her now because she was only worried about the slaves because of her brother always abusing them. She was ignorant to the fact that she was more upset about her brother getting in trouble than the slaves lives. But it all changed when she had the chance to witness a mother separated from her child in a auction. I really do respect her because not only she was white opposing to slavery, she was a woman standing up to what she believed in a time period which was very patriarchy and in the time period that she was in, there wasn't many other white women like her. Grimke was a very intelligent woman also. At the time when abolitionist were arguing using facts and stories to persuade people to abolish slavery, she used people's emotions to decided for themselves when Angelina Grimke wrote a novel "American Slavery".

I respect Fredrick Douglas also. He was brave and strong enough to go through a horrendous slave life, and tell the story of it. He wanted slavery to end just like any other African American, and vowed himself to help the cause in anyway. Fredrick Douglas learned how to read and escaped to go to New York. Once he teamed up with another abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, he began to share his life and why slavery should be abolished in little the meetings. I respect him the most because after all of what he's been through, he wrote a book, "North Star" and he gave Americans an outlook of what hes been through.

I think that if Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas were still alive today to watch this TED video, I think they would be highly disappointed. I think that they would still try their hardest and keep going and pushing on their anti-slavery system, would get the most help from so many powerful people in the 21st century. I believe slavery is still going on because of the most obvious reason, money. The countries that still have slavery are also not recognized around the world as much as it should be. The way people are being treated is outrageously sickening, compared to items that they are working for. I think that if everyone in America knew about this, there would be some type of organization to help end it. People are very cruel, and very ignorant in the world.

hodges said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are William Lloyd Garrison and Angelina Grimke. I respect Angelina Grimke for being a white woman abolitionist. Angelina's family was one of the most renowned family around South Carolina. They believed in slavery whereas Angelina was always opposed to it. In the beginning she only went against it for religious, then she started to realize the moral rights behind it all. She wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison on her views of abolition and then she moved to Philadelphia. Grimke gave speeches about slavery and women's rights although she was allowed just to speak on slavery. She married Theodore Welds which created racial tension around Philadelphia. It led to the burning of the Pennsylvania Hall. Because of such violence they moved to New Jersey which never stopped them from speaking on what they believed on. She composed a book called "American Slavery" to show readers of slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison motivation to end slavery was very strong which moved me to liking him. He demanded respect and would try his best in doing anything to be heard.Giving a speech on abolition in 1835 a riot broke out. He was attacked and sent to jail for his own protection where he only stayed for one night. His newspaper "The Liberator" gave him the freedom to express his emotions towards slavery. Garrison never gave up.

The only reason that 27 million people are enslaved today is because most of the world is ignorant to the fact of their enslavement in order for the world to go against it. It’s also a mixture of our society being lazy and saying it isn’t our problem to deal with where as if it were their human rights they’d want everybody to help them.

Cynthia Vo said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are William Lloyd Garrison and Angelina Grimke. I say this because they were both white. It was very surprising to me to see that they took sides with the blacks. Angelina believed that slavery was a sin and God would make them pay for their sins. Despite her family views on slavery, she still opposed slavery. She was not afraid to voice her opinion. The fact that she contributed so much and being a white pregnant woman just showed how determined she was. She wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison that was then later published in his newspaper.
I also strongly respect William Lloyd Garrison. He was a white man fighting against his own race. Garrison was extremely determined to end slavery. I think it was really brave of him to be fighting against his own race. Not only was he very determined, Garrison was smart and used his knowledge well. He was not afraid to express his opinions. William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper, "The Liberator" made a huge impact. I think it was really effective for him to publish Angelina Grimke's letter in his paper. Garrison believed in gradual abolition. He wanted slavery to end. Garrison was thrown into jail but that did not stop him from expressing his opinions which I believe was very brave of him.
If they were both alive today, I believe that they would not do anything different. They would do anything to put slavery to an end. I think they would make a bigger impact this time around because we have technology and they could use it to spread and voice their opinion to a bigger audience. I think it's absolutely disgusting that slavery still exists today. I just don't understand the cruelty behind it. I don't think slavery will ever end because it occurs everywhere. I agree with Taylor when she said, "The reason is because we are careless and we don't recognize that no matter what color, religion, or size we are, we are all humans who deserve the same rights."

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I respect most are Fredrick Douglas and Angelina Grimke. I respect Angelina Grimke greatly because she was able to overcome so many obstacles. The biggest, and most used in this discussion, was her gender; being a female and speaking out on opinions was very dangerous in that time and for many time afterwards. She was brave enough, despite what friends, family, and other opposing people thought, and spoke her mind about what she thought was wrong and what she thought was right. She was one of the first white abolitionists who could actually see the view of a slave; all because of her experience with losing her baby Charlie, and then learning about how slave mothers were separated from their children quite soon after birth. As a woman, she established connections and then wanted, practically needed, to take action and speak up. Angelina also wrote a novel about slavery, showing the readers the inside of the slave trade, from the point of view of a slave. Many people were turned by this, having this be the first time they saw things in that perspective. By writing that novel, Angelina Grimke really changed history, as well as many peoples minds in the matter.

The other abolitionist I respect is Fredrick Douglas. He too went through many hardships to get to where he got; being first a slave, then a free man, then a wanted man, etc. Fredrick spoke greatly, and influenced many people with his words and story. He had perseverance and nerve, speaking out in a way that not many blacks had before. Many people looked up to him at a figure and trusted his judgement; he became famous in America, all over. He was very successful; he traveled the world, speaking to people about his journey, he wrote a autobiography and published it, and he started his own newspaper, called "The North Star". He was brave and never wanted to give up, only running when it was necessary. He was highly respected by everyone, including myself and many others today. He accomplished a big amount, and the history of the abolition of slavery would not be the same without him.

Personally, I think Angelina and Fredrick would be very unhappy to see the TED talk we watched today. To think you've abolished something, only to find out that it's still going on, literally everywhere, would be heartbreaking. Our society and the world's society is so messed up; people should be doing something about this instead of worrying about pointless apps or the newest celebrity post of twitter. There are millions of people out there who need to be saved, and we, like Angelina and Fredrick, need to be the ones to do something.

Nicolette Retallick said...

The two abolitionists I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. First, I have the up-most respect for Angelina Grimke being that she was a white woman who lived in a patriarchal society. She strayed herself, and went ahead to take part in the abolitionist movement. She came from a wealthy family, and she was willing to risk what others (including her family) thought of her. Before she left home, to take part in the abolitionist movement her concerned was more so with the white masters, than the slaves. In time, her concern was with the slaves. She wrote a successful novel, to give her readers a taste of slavery. She also connected slavery into with being a woman. Which is one of the many reasons I admire her.
Second, I admire William Lloyd Garrison. My reason being, that he was so motivated to put an end to slavery. He wanted his respect and he wanted his voice to be heard. He gave a speech in 1835 on abolition which caused a riot to break out. He was attacked and thrown in jail, however he only stayed 1 night. He was attacked multiple times. "The Liberator", his newspaper gave him the freedom to express his emotions & feeling towards slavery.He took advantage of that. Garrison had tough experiences with his beliefs towards abolition he never gave up.
I believe that if Grimke, and Garrison were still alive today they would be greatly disappointed.I feel this way because the two abolitionists in the TED talk, had no passion or drive behind what they were saying. I feel as if the two abolitionist (Grinke and Garrison) would feel as if all their personal risks, and hard work has been for nothing.

Unknown said...

i agree with savannah about, how the two respect most highly are Angelina Grimke and Fredrick Douglas. I respect Angelina Grimke , because as a women during a patriarchal society she went off to take part in the abolitionist movement , because she thought slavery was a sin. I respect Fredrick Douglas because he rose up against slavery starting as slave a person who went through it ,and now a free man and an abolitionist

Tamara Branch said...

The two abolitionists that I highly respect are Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison. I have a lot of respect for Angelina Grimke because of the tremendous efforts she made to end slavery. I was very impressed that she considered slavery as a sin, being that she was a white woman. I like that she embraces her individuality and expresses her true feelings towards things. For a white woman, to leave her family and nearly ruin her family’s high class/rich reputation for the rights of slaves makes me respect her a lot more. She continued to speak among men and women when it was forbidden, and did not stop giving her speech when the angry mobs were throwing rocks through the windows, which shows how deeply she cared for the freedom of slaves. I admire that she is brave, strong-willed and independent, which is why I give her so much respect at such a high level.
Another abolitionist that I respect is William Lloyd Garrison. I also believe that Garrison was brave as well. He started his own anti-slavery newspaper and continued writing articles, even though he received a lot of death threats from Southerners. I admire how bold and strong he was, even after being put into jail for his own self-protective. I love individuality and people who will fight until the death of them to make a change.
I agree with Savannah, I feel like if Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison had seen this TED Talk they would try to find a way to solve it. I know that they would do anything in their power to make that change. But I agree that since the modern day time is very different than in the 17th century it will be much more difficult. It is more difficult to get society’s attention and convince us to get onboard with any idea a person has. We tend to ignore many problems and focus on problems that only benefit ourselves, which is selfish but is how our society works unfortunately.

Dara Broadnax said...

The two abolitionists who I admire and respect the most are Angelina Grimkey and Fredrick Douglass. I admire Angelina Grimkey because she was a fighter. She was a white woman from Charleston, South Carolina who believed that slavery needed to end. This was very odd quality in a southern white woman. However, she did not let anyone’s opinions or feelings towards her get in the way of her fight to put an end to the institution of slavery, not even her own mother. When she moved to Philadelphia from Charleston, she wrote a letter to a fellow abolitionist named William Lloyd Garrison discussing her utter and complete disgust of slavery and how she wanted to help put an end to it. Garrison soon publicized her letter. Another thing that I admire about Angelina is that she wrote the novel, “American Slavery”. This novel gave the reader an inside look at what slavery is like. I really admire that she had the courage to do the things that she did despite the danger.

Another abolitionist that I admire is Fredrick Douglass. I really respect him because he was a man of courage and rebellion. Douglass got his first taste of what slavery really was at the age of 6 when he witnesses a women getting mercilessly beaten by a master. When he was a young man, he was whipped at least once a week by a well known “slave breaker” named Edward Cubby. This went on until one day, Douglass decided he had had enough and assaulted to man. Cubby never whipped him again. This just goes to show Fredrick Douglass’ sense of rebellion. He soon escaped slavery and came to Massachusetts where he met William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison encouraged him to join the fight against slavery and he accepted. Garrison became his mentor. Douglass also wrote the bestselling autobiography of his life called, “An American Slave”. In this novel, he boldly mentioned the name of his old slave owner, who then tried to track him down unsuccessfully. I admire Douglass’ courage because he put himself at risk of being captured and thrown back into slavery.

I believe that Angelina Grimkey could be considered a Liberal. This is because she did not sit idly by and watch African Americans be tortured in slavery. It took her a little time but she eventually acted upon her beliefs and feelings. I think that Fredrick Douglass could also be considered a Liberal because by writing his autobiography, he showed everyone what the true life of a slave was like and put himself in great danger. If both of these abolitionists were to see the TED talk about Modern Slavery, they would definitely be extremely appalled by what they saw. The fact that after all the work that the abolitionists put into abolishing the institution of slavery and it is still going on in other countries would probably bother them the most.

Unknown said...

One of the abolitionists that I respect highly is Angelina Grimke. She had disagreed with the mistreatment of the slaves and spoke up to her own mother. She didn’t care what the norm was, she just spoke what she thought, straight from the truth. When she got older she joined the antislavery movement. There she was known as an abolitionist and had spoken to several groups of people. This is act of speaking against slavery was forbidden, but of course she did it anyway. It’s interesting to me how a white woman of the time would care so much about slaves which actually make her life easier in a way. She encouraged other people, especially women, to help in the antislavery movement. I believe that Angelina Grimke was a Liberal. She was very strong in her words, and wanted slavery to be done with, and she strongly spoke to crowds of people in order to get them to fight on the abolitionist side.
The other person I highly respect is William Lloyd Garrison. He was fearless in being involved in the antislavery movement. He made his own newspaper that spoke against slavery and the people who oppressed him. I agree with Elizabeth in saying that he is very brave. Even when people had put a bounty on his head he welcomed it and said that it was just another reason to believe his newspaper wasn’t going unheard. When he had been wanted throughout the town he stayed in his house only to be captured, but was saved by some good Samaritans. He only cared about getting the word out in order to stop slavery; he put himself in danger to fight for what he thought was right. I believe he was a liberal because of his radical behavior. He was very strong in his words and wanted the abolition of slavery to happen immediately with no time to wait. He did also make his paper called, “The Liberator”.
I believe that if both Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison watched this TED talk they would be so disappointed. Slavery still existing after they risked their lives to fight against it should not be present after so much time. The need for slavery is irrelevant these days, it isn’t defended as necessary like it was back in the antislavery movement. They would see that their hard work was almost gone to waste. Although of course they would have to be satisfied that their work was very much respected and recognized throughout history and because of it we don’t normally practice slavery today.

Unknown said...

The most interesting and respect full abolitionist that I respect is John Brown. John Brown was against slavery right from the start. He always thought it was a crime against god's will and started flares that changed American history forever. Unlike other abolitionists, Brown preferred a different and much darker path instead of constantly creating peace full protests. His way of protests is fighting fire with fire. He decided to go to war with the brutal slave holders. He was a dear friend of Fredrick Douglass. He first murdered 4 slave holders from different plantations along with his sons. He then rallied 20 slave/free men, armed to the teeth and went out fighting. Although his attempts of killing all slave masters failed, he still was known to be a savior and a war hero. He sacrificed his simple life with his wife and children for the sake of attempting to end slavery. Instead it created a spark of the Civil war.

The second person I identify as a very brave and creative person is Harriot beecher Stowe. Although didn't started out as a anti-slavery rebel, she was always disturbed by the practice of slavery. It didn't take her till she lost one of her five children to realize how many enslaved mothers have lost their children on a daily basis. She decided to take action During the fugitive slave act law was passed in 1850. She offered hostility and gave supplies to runaway slaves and friendly abolitionists. She then spread the ugly truth of slavery by publishing short stories like the famous Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1851-1852. Many local theaters was inspired by the book and formed play productions based on the book. Although She wasn't involved in battle like John Brown did, but she took the idea of anti-slavery and mixed it with different forms of art and literature. I believe she did this to express the daily struggles of every individual that is considered a slave.

I think If Brown or Mrs. Stowe were alive today to see that slavery still exists along with many other problems, they would be disgusted and angered but they would be relieved that there is always fellow abolitionists around the world still fighting for the right causes and ending the evil ways of slavery.

Ray Aing said...

Like others who have posted, the two abolitionists I respect the most are William Lloyd Garrison and Angelina Grimke. William Lloyd Garrison was born poor and hardly had his parents around yet eventually made a name for himself. He was respectable in that he spoke his mind with his abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator" despite constant threats from the south and hatred received from those around him. With the support of other abolitionists and motivation from what he believes to be the truth of slavery, he fights back by spreading the word. At one point, Garrison had to be locked in a jail for his own safety and fled to Connecticut, and yet after this he still continued on with his newspaper and fight. Without him, another important abolitionist, Fredrick Douglass, would have not been convinced to spread the truth of slavery from an ex-slave. On the political spectrum, Garrison would most likely be a liberal by the end of his fight. Although he at first wanted gradual change, he saw John Brown's actions and in the end supported the want for immediate change as he saw that gradual change was too much to ask for.
Christina Grimke was respectable in that although she had a reputation from being a daughter of a rich white slave-owning family in the south, she believed slavery was wrong and fought for it despite those around her attempting to stop her. Influenced by her faith and believing slavery to be a sin, she left her home in the south to assist in the fight against slavery. Despite being a rich white female from the south, she believed slavery was wrong, and her background from the south gives her speeches leverage and more strength than those who have not seen slavery. At one point, she sends a letter to Garrison about the truths of what goes on in slavery and Garrison eventually publishes it. She is also an advocate of women's rights, and linked it with slavery in her speeches. Angelina Grimke would also most likely be a liberal, as her speeches demand for people to take action, especially women.
If they saw the modern slavery that is happening now, they would most likely be disgusted that hundreds of years later this is still going on in the world. It means that the fight still has not ended, and it would take a lot more to end slavery everywhere in the world. When I saw the TED Talk on modern slavery, I was also disgusted as despite how advanced everything has become, something like this is still happening. People are working day in and day out with no pay being forced to do atrocious jobs like carrying bricks for miles. Some of them are children who will not be able to live their childhood and quite possibly their life. It most likely still exists due to money and power. Slavery generates profits yet does not cost a thing, meaning power hungry people can resort to this kind of a low for their money.

Eric Clark said...

I feel I respect Fredrick Douglas and John Brown even thought the two come from different backgrounds.

I respect Douglas because he was a slave and when he became free he talked to people about what slavery was for him and this changed peoples views on the institution. He also wrote the book "American Slavery" without the help of others and was brave enough to put his name on the title even after he had his old masters name in the book. He also left America to go to Europe but came back of his own free will and it was because he saw it was his duty to free slaves from their bondage.

I respect John Brown even though he is a white and he was never a slave slavery is so big for him and he wants action taken to rid the institution ASAP. Although his methods and tactics I can't agree with his ambitious nature is something highly to respect.

I believe slavery is still happening today because no one is strong enough to stop it or even have the courage to say something about it. I believe it is a right to protest what you don't see fit to the well being of your city and so I feel that if they protested against this institution slaver would stop. Although it will take some years before it is completely eradicated.

Joshua W. Smith said...

The Two Abolitionists I found the most interesting in this video were William Lloyd Garrison, and John Brown. Both abolitionists that fall on the left side of our political spectrum for obvious reasons as they both were abolitionists, but I like to look at both of these guys because we have the more moderate non-violent William Lloyd Garrison and then the most extreme radical John Brown. I really found the contrast of their approaches to slavery to be quite interesting. Throughout the video I really got to see Garrison progress and develop as a character and was intrigued by his journey throughout his career in abolition. He was really an interesting guy, and his story I thought was interesting. He starts out a very Christian, low class white man in Northern Society, and he decides To start his abolitionists Newspaper The Liberator. From this point it seemed that his role as a leading abolitionists only got greater and greater. Not only did he play an important role as a white abolitionists, but I liked the way we constantly see him throughout the movement, and how despite all thew drawbacks he faced such as his time in prison, illness, and threats he managed to be peaceful and carried out his newspaper. In my opinion Garrison was definatly the most influential abolitionists. It was almost as if he discovered Frederick Douglas and used him as his first hand aid to show someone who had actually experienced slavery. I felt like Douglas was almost too full of himself and was cocky. I thought the way him and Garrison had there disagreement was almost pointless. Garrison did a lot for Douglas and it came off to me like Douglas thought he didn't need him and that he was more important for abolition on his own. That brings me back to the way Garrison just really was an anchor for this abolition movement throughout the whole story.
John Brown on the other-hand has a completely different look at abolition. He like Garrison is a very Christian man and believes it is God's will to do something about the institution of slavery. Another reason I like looking at both Garrison and Brown and contrasting them is because we see Garrison havinga withstanding pressence and impact throughout the movemnt over a long time and Brown had the attitude and took action immeadeatly and over a short time had electrified the country with his attacks and inserrections. It seemed like Brown was short lived in a sense, but what he did was so crazy and strong that it left a lasting impression. Brown's attempt in 1859 to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans is one of the major turning points that lead to the Civil War. His stand to take action in a violent way I thought was definetely influential to the war that would come. The Civil War had started the following year and that is most definetely saying something. That is why I found John Brown our abolitionist radical very interesting as well.

Melissa Gatbonton said...

The two abolitionists I respect the most are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglass. Though they come from two very different backgrounds, the fact that they had the same goal of abolishing slavery was enough.
Angelina Grimke came from a wealthy white family. She had been surrounded by slaves as she grew up and was also raised as a devout Christian. Although she was surrounded by a family that accepted and encouraged slavery, I give her much respect because she had the courage and ability to express her different beliefs. Grimke strongly believed that slavery was a sin and tried to convince her family to see it from her perspective. Although she seemed to be alone in her beliefs, it amazed me how she had the courage to leave the protection of her home (especially since she was a woman in that era). Grimke hesitated at first about being an official abolitionist for she knew the risks however she made up her mind and as a result, became a significant symbol not just for abolitionists, but for women too.
I respect Frederick Douglas for his perseverance. Being able to escape bondage and survive in the north despite many dangers should be reason enough for respect. He was kidnapped as a child and the horrors that he had witnessed should have traumatized him to the point of helplessness, but they didn't. Instead, he used it as the fuel to his fire. It was what drove him to go on. Despite the dangers of being a fugitive in the north, Douglas still chose to put himself in the spotlight in order to advocate the abolition of slavery. I also respect him for making the decision to publish a book on his life. Publishing that book was dangerous since it could have risked the chance that he could be put back into forced labor.

As for the topic of modern slavery, I am honestly offended by the fact that people still do such inhumane things to others. If the abolitionists during the Antebellum Era saw this, they would be mortified. I think that this gives more evidence about how humans can be such vile creatures. 27 million people in bondage in this century is astonishing. I don't think I can fully express the feeling of astonishment I feel about this topic.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I respect the most are Angelina Grinke and William Lloyd Garrison. I respect Grinke because she was a women abolitionist. Women abolitionists were rare at this time. And out of the little women abolitionists there were at the time, she worked extremely hard. She fought for what she believed in. She cared about the well-being of the slave she had growing up and it is what sparked her abolitionist. She had a letter published about her views on slavery. She tried her hardest to let
her views known.
I respect William Lloyd Garrison because even though he grew up poor, it did not stop him from becoming a known person. He was a white man who grew up in a poor family. He was openly opposed to slavery. He published "The Liberator" and did not care about the outcome that thins could have. Even after angry mobs of people came to him, he did not let that stop him getting his views on slavery known by the public.
I think that Grimke and Garrison would be very angry about what was said in the Ted Talk. I know that they would not hold back in letting the world know what they thought. And they would do everything in their powers to put a stop to it all.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionist that I respect highly are and Angelina Grimke. I really respect Angelina Grimke because she is a white woman that has luxurious life but she leave all of it behind and she went to take part in the abolitionist movement in the North. There, she wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison about her opinions on slavery. Angelina Grimke also wrote a novel “American Slavery” to tell people how slavery really is. Later, she married Theodore Welds. He created racial tension that led to the burning of the Pennsylvania Hall. Even after this, it did not stop her from speaking on what she believed in.

I also respect William Lloyd Garrison. William Lloyd Garrison was a poor white man. He was abandoned by his own father and he was taken care of by his grandmother. Even though he is a white man himself, he is still fighting against his own race to end slavery. William Lloyd Garrison spread the word about slavery nonstop. He was attacked and thrown into jail. But it did not stop him. He wrote on his newspaper “The Liberator” about how his feelings towards slavery.

I think if both of them saw the TED Talk video, they would be very mad and disappointed. I think they would still trying their best to end the slavery just like how they do before. I think it is harder now to end slavery because it is everywhere and nobody cares about it.


Anonymous said...

The two abolitionist I admire the most are Angelina Grimky and Frederick Douglas. Angelina Grimky. Angelina Grimke was an abolitionist and author for woman’s rights and slavery. When she left Charleston,she became a Philadelphia abolitionist, joined the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, and wrote an abolitionist pamphlet An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South in 1836. With this said I respect Angelina Grimky highly because she left wealth and her family in the south to come to the North to help abolish slavery due to her first hand encounters with slaves in the south. I find it incredible for her to be a brave and courageous woman to leave a plantation of wealth to help out the well being of African Americans. Grimky said and I quote " slavery is a sin and God would punish those who had sins."

The second abolitionist I respect highly is Frederick Douglas. Frederick Douglass was known as the father of the civil rights movement. He rose with great determination, brilliance, and eloquence to shape the American nation for black and white equality. He was an abolitionist, human rights and women's rights activist, orator, author, journalist, publisher, and social reformer. As a child at the age of 6 Frederick Douglas saw his mother being whipped and ever since this moment he wanted better for himself and blacks which made him the powerful man his legacy will show of him. In 1830 Douglas went to Boston to start his own newspaper entitled "North Star" this newspaper talked about abolition. I highly admire Frederick Douglas for his great dedication and fight he showed no matter if he was the most wanted man in America or not he still continued to fight for equality and for the freedom of African Americans.

If Angelina Grimky and Frederick Douglas they would be amazed on how slavery was still around in today's world after all they fought for to make the world a better place. I am amazed myself that slavery still is around largely in some places with a total of 27 million no matter how hard our ancestors fought for equality some things still stayed the same.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I highly respect the most are Fredrick Douglass and Lloyd Garrison. I admire both of them because they were willing to die for something that they knew was going to be a great cause in the end. Also, I think that if it wasn't for these major abolitionists such as these men and other abolitionists, I do believe that slavery would probably still be going on. However, they didn't back down they fought for what was right.

I respect William Lloyd Garrison because of how much effort and motivation he put towards ending slavery. I believe that he was very brave considering the fact that he published his own anti-slavery paper " The Liberator". The fact that he was white man, also he devoted himself to stop slavery. Garrison was poor, he didn't have much; but he ended up being one of the most known abolitionists during the anti-slavery movement. I respect and admire that.

I also respect Douglass because he stood up to a white man (his master). Knowing that he could be ended up wipe, tortured, or even death. But no, even his master respected him after he stood up to him and didn't bother Douglass again. After that, Douglass said that " he was a man", I believe that was true because that takes guts for a slave to stand up to his master and gain respect. He also escaped from slavery and managed to become the most influential speaker in the anti-slavery movement.

I'm sure if Douglass and Garrison were to see modern slavery they would be furious. Modern slavery has twice the amount of slaves there were before. Which would make it harder for them to solve, but I think they could find a way to move the African American society.

Danika Shinn said...

The two abolitionists I most identify with and respect are Angelina Grimke and William Loyd Garrison. Grimke had a tough situation. She was a woman in the 19th century. That right there was a huge setback because of the lack of rights women had then. Yet she still continued to spread her beliefs despite the danger it could potentially cause her. I think that her ambition and determination were great. She did what she wanted even if she was banished from her home. She stood for what was right no matter what. That is very respectable. She was a very liberal left-sided person. She wanted change and she wanted slaves to get better treatment and have rights. She started out very wealthy too, but she didn't hesitate to give it all up so she could help others. She was very noble and respectable.
William Lloyd Garrison started out poor but that didn't stop him from accomplishing great things. He started an abolitionist magazine and despite what people thought, he continued to publish articles. Even when people were literally trying to kill him he didn't give in. He was free to express the way he felt about slavery with his newspaper. Even when he was thrown in jail for his own protection, he didn't back down from what he believed was right. That was very respectable.
Angelina Grimke and William Lloyd Garrison had it tough but their determination shined through even when others did not agree. They were highly respectable abolitionists.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I have the most for are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglass. While there are clearly many important abolitionists, I feel that these two stand out. They both seem to be the embodiment of perseverance and effort. They wouldn't let anyone change their minds. Their reasons, hardships, and sacrifice make them more notable and in a way more respectable to me.

I respect Grimke for her strength, and individuality. She stood for what she believed in and tried to get others to understand he reasoning. She believed that slavery was a sin and that it wasn't right. Her family however, didn't feel the same way. They didn't see anything wrong with slavery. This was because of the contradicting context of the Bible which allows for misinterpretation and debatable topics such as slavery. However, Grimke wouldn't give up. She knew the hardships that she would face due to her gender, but she followed her beliefs and became an abolitionist. It takes a lot to go against people you love, for what you believe.

I also respect Frederick Douglas because of his selflessness. He started as a slave and experienced all the hardships that come along with that title. He lived a tough life until he was free. He was free to be his own person, away from slavery and from having a master. But he decided to help others. Rather than enjoy his new freedom, he decided to help others also become free. He believed in freedom for everyone, not just himself, and he proved this throughout the course of his life. The amazing part about this is that he risked his own safety and well-being for the freedom of others who might not have done the same for him. This was a very respectable thing to do because even though he was free, he was still black and that had a negative impact on how he was viewed. He did what was right, and risked his own life to do so.

Unknown said...

The two Abolitionists that were really powerful in their objectives were William Lloyd Garrison and Angelina Grimkie. These were outsiders of society who were abused, beaten and considered a threat for one reason, because they wanted to eliminate and remove the evils of slavery itself. They thought this because they had lives of rebellion, deep emotion, pain and of course, a heart. They had nobody to support them or any family at all. The only thing that they had was a strong will and a vision for change in Congress. William Lloyd Garrison was Northerner who moved to Boston. When he moved there in the late 1820’s his original idea was to help a newspaper company to stop slavery, not so the blacks can integrate with white but to send them back to Africa. He wanted the states to become an all-white society but that would soon change. Garrison went to sing with a choir of black church singers and this experience would change his life forever. He then decided that this task of stopping slavery was even bigger. He then thought that the pursuit of happiness should be shared with all races. William started his paper The Liberator. The first thing that he mentioned is that there will be no neutrals. People will like me or dislike me and that my voice will be heard. The Liberator started an abolitionist group in every state and one of those people that it touched was Angelina Grimkie. Angelina Grimkie was an outsider like Garrison. She grew up in one of the richest families in the South. She saw her family use the system for their greed and selfish reasons. She even saw her brother whip the innocent outside. She talk to her mom and said, ‘’Don’t you have Christin feelings?’’ Her mom always denied what Angelina said and said that ‘’God decides my fate.’’ In time Angelina left the South and went to Boston so she could live in a society where everyone lived together. When she read The Liberator she wrote a letter to Garrison and said how happy she was that she shared the exact same opinion and she wanted to join him. So as years went by she and many other members went around the country to spread the word. This story is an example that the strongest and the bravest are the ones who triumph in the end. What’s even better is what these two fought for was something that changed the course of history to this day.

S. Batts said...

The two abolitionist that I most identify with respect is Frederick Douglas and Angelina Grimke. I respect the both of these abolitionist because they both were against slavery.
Angelina Grimke I respect, because for one she was a woman who was white. There were not a lot of female abolitionist at this period of time, and around this time period Females really didn't have a say in things. Her family believed in slavery however she did not. She argued that slavery was wrong. Grimke was very ambitious and bold. She wrote and story called "American Slavery" which is really self explanatory, and then later moved to Philadelphia. If Angelina was to be seen in her hometown, she would of been arrested. Angelina was very brave and bold, and had a lot of heart.
I too respect Fredrick Douglas. Mainly because he was once a slave, and as soon as he was freed, he rebelled against it. He became a very outspoken speaker against slavery. He escaped in 1838 and went to New York where he came across another abolitionist named Lloyd Garrison. Garrison was like a mentor to Douglas for like published speaking. I admire Douglas because he had many obstacles to overcome I'm his life, but he alway pushed forward regardless.

I feel as though, If Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglas were still alive and watched the TED talk I feel like they would be disappointed. These two abolitionists did not work for a society like this, where slavery is still occurring. Although this version of slavery is not the same as it was before, it is still a serious topic.

Faheem Abdul-Karriem said...

the two abolitionist i respect the most are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglass. I respect Grimke because she was a rich, southern white woman who saw the world from a slave's prospective. she did things in her power that most women of her time wouldn't even think of doing. even though her family owned slaves, she fought as an abolitionist and made her mark in the white and black world.

i respect douglass because he not only stood up to his master but he also didn't forget what his mission was no matter how much fame he got. like most post already said, he didn't just become free and live his life. he fought against slaver and was very out spoken about it too.

if Grimke and Douglass saw the TED Talk i feel they would try to do everything in their power to help. but i also think they would have a harder time with this modern day problem then the problem in their own time. this would be because modern day society is all about themselves mostly. if it doesn't benefit them in away, then they won't jump on board. Its sad but true.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists I have the most for are Angelina Grimke and Frederick Douglass. While there are clearly many important abolitionists, I feel that these two stand out. They both seem to be the embodiment of perseverance and effort. They wouldn't let anyone change their minds. Their reasons, hardships, and sacrifice make them more notable and in a way more respectable to me. I also respect Douglass because he stood up to a white man (his master). Knowing that he could be ended up wipe, tortured, or even death. But no, even his master respected him after he stood up to him and didn't bother Douglass again. After that, Douglass said that " he was a man", I believe that was true because that takes guts for a slave to stand up to his master and gain respect. He also escaped from slavery and managed to become the most influential speaker in the anti-slavery movement.

I'm sure if Douglass and Garrison were to see modern slavery they would be furious. Modern slavery has twice the amount of slaves there were before. Which would make it harder for them to solve, but I think they could find a way to move the African American society.
I also respect Frederick Douglas because of his selflessness. He started as a slave and experienced all the hardships that come along with that title. He lived a tough life until he was free. He was free to be his own person, away from slavery and from having a master. But he decided to help others. Rather than enjoy his new freedom, he decided to help others also become free. He believed in freedom for everyone, not just himself, and he proved this throughout the course of his life. The amazing part about this is that he risked his own safety and well-being for the freedom of others who might not have done the same for him. This was a very respectable thing to do because even though he was free, he was still black and that had a negative impact on how he was viewed. He did what was right, and risked his own life to do so.

Unknown said...

The two abolitionists that I found the most interesting were Frederick Douglas and John Brown. I say this because when both of these abolitionists met for the first time, they had very different views on how to abolish slavery. Douglas felt that the peaceful way was the right way. He believed that if they used violence then they were no better than the slave owners. John Brown, on the other hand, believed that abolition would never be reached without violence. I actually thought Douglas would be one to be for violence. Unlike Brown, Douglas was a slave, so he understands what he is fighting for on a level Brown could never truly comprehend. This made me believe that Douglass would accept the idea of violence especially because Douglas used violence against his owner and ended up seeing positive results. Douglas's owner never tried to touch Douglas again. Another reason why I thought Douglas would be more open to the idea of violence is because he watched his mother get beat. I thought this would leave Douglas with some angry vengeance in his heart. After years of trying to go about things peacefully Douglas finally realized that violence was indeed the answer. I think that if these two men say the TED talk and found out that slavery was still alive today, they would be furious, disgusted, and appalled.