IV. Massachusetts and the Fight to End Slavery, 1840s-1861

Framing Questions

In what ways do these documents provide evidence about:
1. Methods and materials used in the antislavery battle and the objectives of each?
2. Reasons for refusing to compromise; reasons for being willing to compromise?
3. The impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on both blacks and whites in the North?
4. Reasons for opposing slavery's spread to the new western territories?