Abolitionism
The term Abolitionist is most commonly used to describe a movement in several nations of the 19th century which sought to abolish slavery and the slave trade.
In Great Britain, abolitionists succeed in abolishing slavery throughout the empire in 1833 and in allowing the Royal Navy to enforce a ban on the slave trade.
In the United States, abolitionists were involved in the conflict between North and South. While the Quakers were particularly noted for activity in this movement, it was by no means limited to Quaker participation. This issue was one of several key issues that led to the creation of the Free Methodist denomination, a group which split from the Methodist Episcopal Church in the 1860s.
Many Abolitionists took an active (and often illegal, by the laws of the time) role putting their principles into practice, by supporting the Underground railroad.
After the Emancipation Proclamation the Abolitionists continued to pursue the freedom of slaves in the remaining slave states, and to better the conditions of black Americans generally. From these principles the US civil rights movement was to eventually take form.
Notable Abolitionists