ABOLITION
Political
Abolitionists:
During
the time of reform it was quite a challenge to have your voice heard. The
political abolitionists were perhaps the group who had the most difficult
time achieving this task. These abolitionists were initially a part of the
religious abolitionists. They 
decided
to push abolition in the political arena; therefore they created their own
political abolitionist party in 1840. These abolitionists focused their attention
toward the government and presidential campaign. They targeted senators and
governors alike to support anti-slavery issues. Furthermore, they wanted
to transform these issues into institutions. The political abolitionists
ultimately failed in their movement because they never provided a clear reason
as to why they were rallying abolition. Some important figures in political
abolition include: James G. Birney and Gerrit Smith.
Radical
Abolitionists:
These people were here to make a difference and heavily promoted abolition. Although the base of their purpose was religious, they were completely separate from the evangelical abolitionists; this because they believed that the churches were sullied with slavery. In the same light, they discarded the political abolitionists as well. The radical abolitionists were completely open to and actually aiming toward confrontation. They made their arguments through the division and rejection of the government and abolition. They blatantly blamed the American Constitution for slavery. With that in mind, they also believed that the Revolution would not be over until slavery had been abolished. As support for their purpose, these abolitionists used the Declaration of Independence (mainly the first paragraph), and the notion of any human being having natural rights. The reformists rhetorical of the ideal is most evident within the radical abolitionists movement. One of the most famous radical abolitionists is William Lloyd Garrison.
Evangelical
Abolitionists:
The evangelicals were an interesting group, in
that their purpose was to attack slavery solely on the basis or religion.
They believed that slavery was a sin and the highest form of cruelty. The
evangelical abolitionists had the hardest time making their case, but had
the most means for supporting it as well. The Bible of course was their main
support for their beliefs. They base their rhetoric on the Puritan form of
the Jeremiad. This group of abolitionists had quite intense feelings and
beliefs, ultimately making them the most powerful voice of abolition. After
the second Great Awakening, these abolitionists decided that they would root
abolition as they gateway into the third Great Awakening. Most of these abolitionists
could be found in the “burned-over district” of New York and were the ones
most likely to travel with the Reform Circuit and speak in the Lecture hall.