In US history, the abolitionist movement was a social and political campaign to end the practice of slavery and free enslaved African Americans. Emerging in the early 19th century, the movement grew out of the moral and religious convictions of individuals who believed slavery was inherently wrong and inhumane. The movement was deeply rooted in the Second Great Awakening, a Protestant religious revival that emphasized individual morality and social reform in both the North and South.

Early abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman played crucial roles in advocating for the abolition of slavery. Garrison, a white journalist, founded the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator in 1831, which became a prominent voice for the cause. He also helped establish the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833, which sought to end slavery through moral persuasion and nonviolent protest.

Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery, became one of the most influential Black abolitionists. His oratory and writings, including his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, highlighted the brutal realities of slavery and galvanized support for the abolitionist cause. Harriet Tubman, a formerly enslaved Black woman, became a key figure in the Underground Railroad, a network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to free states and Canada.