Final answer:
The American Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1833, was based on moral suasion to appeal to the public's conscience against the immorality of slavery. Led by figures like William Lloyd Garrison, and supported by abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, the society used narratives, activism, and even political action to fight for immediate abolition and influenced by British abolitionist successes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS), founded by William Lloyd Garrison and others in 1833, utilized principles based on moral suasion to oppose slavery. The members, sometimes known as Garrisonians, believed in appealing to the conscience of the public and particularly slaveholders, by highlighting the moral atrocities and horrors of slavery, such as family separations and sexual violence. This strategy was influenced by evangelical Protestantism and relied on dramatic narratives by formerly enslaved individuals.
To further their cause, the AASS established hundreds of local societies, worked with black activists to create schools and churches, and even laid the groundwork for the Liberty Party, which championed abolitionist policies. While Garrison favored immediate abolition without compromise, describing the U.S. Constitution as "a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell," others within the society differed in their approaches to ending slavery. The group was a transatlantic movement, closely coordinated with British abolitionists who had successfully ended the slave trade.
Within the AASS, there were differences, particularly regarding women's rights. Some members left to form the American and Foreign Antislavery Society because the AASS promoted women to leadership positions and endorsed women's suffrage. Notable African American abolitionists like Frederick Douglass also took part in the AASS, contributing powerful voices and writings to the cause.