AF101

American Facts 101

History and civics

Glossary term

Abolitionist

A person who worked to end slavery in the United States (e.g., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman).

Historical context

Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. It gained momentum in the western world in the late 18th and 19th centuries.