Episode 142: Manisha Sinha, A History of Abolition

by Liz CovartJuly 11, 2017

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Most histories of American abolitionism begin just before the Civil War, during the Antebellum period. But the movement to end chattel slavery in America began long before the United States was a nation.

Manisha Sinha, a professor of history at the University of Connecticut and author of the award-winning book The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition, takes us through the early American origins of the the abolition movement.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

Manisha Sinha, the Draper Chair of American History at the University of Connecticut and author of the award-winning book The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition, takes us through the early American origins of the the abolition movement.

During our exploration, Manisha reveals the origins of the American abolition movement; How the Age of Revolutions contributed to the early abolition movement and gave it momentum; And how events like the Haitian Revolution and the Constitutional Convention of 1787 impacted the abolition movement.

What You’ll Discover

The history of American abolitionism
Exploring abolitionism as a social movement
The origins of abolitionism
Early African abolitionists
Circulation of early anti-slavery tracts
The Age of Revolutions and its contribution to early abolitionism
The founders and the paradox of slavery
Freedom petitions and African American abolitionism
The Haitian Revolution and its impact on American abolitionism
The long period of emancipation in the northern United States
Differences between abolition and emancipation
Compromises made at the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Differences between abolitionist mobilization in northern versus southern states
How Manisha researched and wrote her comprehensive book

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if African Americans had not had the ability to participate in the abolition movement? How would the absence of African American participation in abolitionism have altered the movement?