1. a person who advocates for the emancipation of enslaved people or the liberation of a group from oppression or control
Usage: historical: often used in reference to abolitionists in the 19th century; can apply to advocates of liberation in various contexts

1. relating to or supporting the emancipation or liberation of enslaved or oppressed people
Usage: historical: commonly used to describe 19th-century anti-slavery movements and figures

Examples

• Frederick Douglass was a prominent emancipationist who fought tirelessly for the freedom of enslaved African Americans.
• The emancipationist movement gained momentum in the northern states during the early 1800s.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel became a powerful tool for emancipationist activists.
• Many emancipationist leaders believed that slavery was morally wrong and economically harmful.
• The emancipationist cause united people from different backgrounds and regions.
• British emancipationists successfully campaigned for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.