ABOLITIONISMINTHENORTHANDTHESOUTHOFAMERICAINTHE19THCENTURY

This article presents a comprehensive literary and historical analysis of abolitionism in the Northern and Southern United States during the nineteenth century. Abolitionism is examined not as a unified national movement but as a regionally differentiated ideological phenomenon shaped by distinct economic systems, social structures, and cultural values. The study emphasizes the crucial role of literature as a medium through which abolitionist and anti-abolitionist ideas were articulated, disseminated, and contested. The primary objective of the research is to identify and compare the ideological foundations of Northern abolitionist discourse and Southern pro-slavery rhetoric, with particular attention to their representation in literary texts. The article seeks to demonstrate how literature functioned both as a reflection of historical realities and as an active instrument of moral persuasion and ideological resistance. In the Northern states, abolitionist literature emerged as a powerful force aimed at mobilizing public opinion against slavery, while in the Southern states literary and political discourse largely served to justify and preserve the slaveholding system. Methodologically, the study adopts an interdisciplinary qualitative approach that combines historical analysis, comparative literary criticism, and discourse analysis. Primary sources include abolitionist novels, autobiographical narratives, essays, and pro-slavery texts, while secondary sources consist of scholarly works in American history and literary studies. This methodological framework enables a balanced examination of abolitionism as both a socio-political movement and a cultural-literary phenomenon. The discussion highlights significant thematic and rhetorical contrasts between Northern and Southern texts. Northern abolitionist writers employed sentimentalism, realism, and moral argumentation to expose the brutality of slavery and evoke empathy for enslaved individuals. In contrast, Southern discourse constructed an idealized image of plantation life, emphasizing paternalism, racial hierarchy, and social stability, while portraying abolitionism as a dangerous and radical ideology. The results of the study demonstrate that literature played a decisive role in deepening sectional divisions and intensifying ideological polarization in the decades preceding the American Civil War. By revealing how competing literary narratives shaped regional identities and moral worldviews, the article underscores the scholarly value of abolitionist literature as a vital source for understanding nineteenth-century American history and culture.