During the 1830s, American citizens fought in the streets, with assault and murder increasingly commonplace crimes. The principal targets of mob violence were abolitionists and black citizens, who had begun to question the foundation of the U.S. economy—chattel slavery—and demand an end to it. Led by figures like William Lloyd Garrison and James Forten, the anti-slavery movement grew from a small band of committed activists to a growing social force, and here, J.D. Dickey reveals their compelling stories.