Abolitionists Drew Blood in Fighting Slavery by Black Agenda Radio

“It was fugitive slaves, who were violent in defending themselves against slave-catchers, who pushed abolitionists towards militant and sometimes violent tactics,” said Duke University historian Jesse Olavsky. The abolitionist movement was, at its core, quite radical, said Olavsky, author of a recent article titled “Women, Vigilance Committees, and the Rise of Militant Abolitionism, 1835 – 1859.