The Impact of the International Dimension of the Abolition Movement

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Presentation Essay
The essay explores the impact of the international dimension of the abolition movement on the American abolitionist movement. To do that, it is critical to examine the history of the slave trade, which commenced more than four centuries ago when the first ship carrying enslaved people docked in Virginia, America. Millions of Africans were forcefully shipped across the Atlantic to work in Caribbean plantations. However, discourse on ending slavery began across Europe as the increasing population of enslaved people in the Western hemisphere heightened social tensions. At the same time, the colonists started seeing the institution as wrong and anti-morality. The US under Lincoln ended the vice in 1863 amidst the Civil War.
While Lincoln is remembered for abolishing slavery, his decision was due to antislavery movements across continents in the 19th century. At the time, the abolitionist movements gained support from other countries. In particular, moral objections of Enlightenment thinkers like French abolitionist Charles Baron de Montesquieu helped form the natural rights philosophy of freedom and equality, a major step toward recognizing the rights and freedoms of African Americans. Additionally, religious beliefs considered all humans equal before God started to advance. Religious beliefs emphasized the need for people to view each other as humans and abolish any institution, including slavery, that made a section of the population inferior.
Additionally, the Haitian Revolution played a role in the American abolitionist movement. It started in 1791 and ended in 1804, establishing the first independent black nation in the Western Hemisphere. The Haitian Revolution demonstrated that the abolishment of slavery was possible. It showed that enslaved people could govern themselves, which inspired the American abolitionist movement to tighten their efforts toward demanding the abolishment of the institution. The Revolution increased the enslaved people's confidence in demanding their freedom. The stories boosted the confidence of the enslaved people, allowing them to cooperate with international bodies to stop the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In some circumstances, the international abolitionists supported internal abolitionists with fina...