(RNS) — As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, PBS is airing “The Abolitionists,” a three-part series that began Jan. 8.
Documentarian Rob Rapley, the writer and director of the series, talked with Religion News Service about the role religion played in the lives of the abolitionists.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How would you sum up the role of faith in the work of American abolitionists?
A: It was a time in which religion played a central role in American life with the Second Great Awakening. Every one of the abolitionists was shaped very much by their faith. In fact, they would have defined themselves first by their faith before any other category.
Q: Many of the abolitionists were driven by the notion that slaveholding was sinful. How did their opponents respond?
A: One of the most difficult things to comprehend about this story is the degree to which slavery was an accepted part of American life. It was sanctioned in the Bible, certainly all over the place in the Old Testament, so slaveholders used that as justification.
Q: Some abolitionists talked about “moral suasion.” How did that affect their arguments against slavery?
A: They really resorted to this idea of converting people. Since that was a central part of the evangelical movement that was sweeping the country at the time, they thought, “Well why not? If people can be converted to faith then why can they not be converted to anti-slavery?”
Q: You pointed out the role of women abolitionists, such as Angelina Grimke’s appeal to Christian women of the South. Was she at all successful?
A: She said explicitly, “I know that you do not make the laws, but your husbands and brothers and fathers do.” She urged them to advocate ending slavery to their kinfolk who were in positions of power. She thought that if the women of the South turned against slavery, it would lead very quickly to the end of slavery, that men would follow suit. That was roundly rejected.
Q: What message do you hope viewers will walk away with after seeing your series?
A: I think it’s really a testament to the power of the individual. These characters were up against overwhelming odds. In hindsight, it seems like the end of slavery was inevitable, but it was in fact about the most unlikely thing in the world. And a very small set of people set this vortex in motion, which eventually swept up the country and changed our history for the better. It really is so easy to lose sight of the fact that if you’re dedicated enough and if you have a clear vision of something right and true that you can, in fact, effect change.
Adelle Banks writes for Religion News Service.