Immediate Action.

The abolitionist movement gained momentum in the early 1830s when prominent white leaders such as William Lloyd Garrison left the American Colonization Society and adopted the position that nothing short of the immediate abolition of the institution would bring about its demise. The new zeal was sparked in part by Garrison's periodical, The Liberator, which began publication on 1 January 1831. In the first issue Garrison explained, "I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation." Many new recruits agreed with Garrison that drastic language was necessary, for they believed the soul of the nation was in a state of crisis.

Ideology.

For the new abolitionists...