Twenty-Eighth Annual Report of the American Anti-Slavery Society

This 1861 report features the election of Lincoln and his Inaugural Address, the southern rebellion, the beginning of the Civil War, and the slavery insurrection. The Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1833, the same year the slave trade was abolished in Britain. Led by William Lloyd Garrison, the Anti-Slavery Society exposed the horrors of slavery through the abolitionist newspaper “The Liberator.” The society sponsored meetings, signed anti-slavery petitions that were sent to Congress, published journals, created propaganda that was distributed to Northern audiences, and sent out lecturers to spread the anti-slavery message. The group membership included many religious and philanthropic people in addition to members from the free Black community. The group was met with (at times violent) opposition, due to their abolitionist platform and the admittance of Black board members. In 1839 the group split into two factions. The first group, under Garrison, was radical, calling for sharing organizational leadership roles with women and the denouncement of the US Constitution because of its support of slavery. The second group formed the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, which directly led to the formation of the Libertarian Party in 1840. After the Civil War and emancipation, the Anti-Slavery Society dissolved in 1870.