12. Topic: Abolition. Thesis: During the years preceding the Civil War, a chorus rose against slavery. However, while the Abolition movement, led by such notables as William Lloyd Garrison and Benjamin Lundy, raised the consciousness of the citizens of the North; it also contributed to the South holding onto the "peculiar institution" with a death grip. The South's dogged defense of slavery contributed to a southern sense of isolation from the rest of the nation, which fueled the fires of sectionalism and ultimately brought about the start of the Civil War.