abolitionism

[ab-uh-lish-uh-niz-uh m] /ˌæb əˈlɪʃ əˌnɪz əm/
noun
1.
the principle or policy of abolition, especially of slavery of blacks in the U.S.
Origin
1800-10; abolition + -ism
Examples from the web for abolitionism
  • The illustration on this sheet-music cover is an allegory of the triumph of abolitionism.
  • It is illustrated with an allegory of the triumph of abolitionism.
  • Conduct research to determine whether leaders in the suffrage movement contributed to abolitionism.
Word Origin and History for abolitionism
n.

1790, in the anti-slavery sense, from abolition + -ism.

abolitionism in Culture

abolitionism definition


The belief that slavery should be abolished. In the early nineteenth century, increasing numbers of people in the northern United States held that the nation's slaves should be freed immediately, without compensation to slave owners. John Brown, Frederick W. Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman were well-known abolitionists.

Note: Abolitionism in the United States was an important factor leading to the Civil War.