Funded Projects Query Form
One match

I propose to write a comprehensive book analyzing the impact on American politics of the radical movement to abolish slavery. This subject is important because the relationship, during the 18th and 19th centuries, between abolitionist agitators and practical politicians has never been clear. The issue is: what was the impact of morally-based radicals who urged rapid emancipation on practical politicians who led the US into the Civil War in 1861. Currently historians either ignore the issue, deny that abolitionists had significant influence, or make vague references to abolitionist impact on popular opinion. Therefore I shall investigate direct unambiguous abolitionist relations with politicians, political parties, and government bodies between the years 1750 and 1865. The book will clarify not only a significant part of Civil War causation, but also how a major American reform movement functioned politically.