After many years of slavery, northerners became frustrated with it. They didn't want to live in a country where people were treated as property. Many anti-slavery people got together to form the "Abolitionist Party", which protested slavery and did everything they could to stop it. This caused major conflict between the North and South because the southern economy depended of slavery and it was a big part of southern culture. Because of this, the Fugitive Slave act was passed. This made it illegal for people to help slaves that escaped and allowed police to arrest slaves, even in free states. This made the north very angry and caused the Abolitionists to work even harder to make the country completely free.
Sources:
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Important People: Harriet Beecher Stowe
One important person involved in the Abolitionist movement was Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wrote the anti-slavery book called "Uncle Tom's Cabin". This book not only helped Abolitionists with their cause, it also provoked widespread anger in the south. Harriet Beecher Stowe was known as a "Little lady with a lot to say". She had a big voice in the Abolitionist movement and was one of the biggest causes to the civil war.
Important Events: Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown was an Abolitionist who planned to assist runaway slaves and launch attacks on slaveholders. He was originally going to start the attack in 1858, but he was asked to postpone the attack because one of his followers was threatening to reveal his plan to the slaveholders. The attack was delayed by one year and by the time he was ready to attack, much of his army had changed their mind and decided to withdraw from the army. The attack failed due to not having enough men to fight.