CHRISTOPHER ELLINGWOOD. A study of Unitarian theology prior to the American Civil War to assess its flexibility in accommodating both immediate abolitionists as well as those uninvolved in, or opposed to, the movement. (Under the direction of DR. CHRISTOPHER CAMERON)The abolitionists’ radical commitment to principle over expediency prompted a split from conventional methods and institutions. Major abolitionist figures such as William Lloyd Garrison distanced themselves from established, centralized religions. The presence of abolitionists who did not keep positions considered orthodox by their religious peers demonstrates the importance of understanding religious dissent in the movement even though the split never completely eliminated earlier forms of moderate antislavery. The Unitarians offer a valuable opportunity to study the unorthodox foundations of immediate abolitionism. Those who adopted the revivalist theological imperative to not maintain communion with sinners increased tensions within major denominations such as Methodists and Baptists. The original constitution of the American Unitarian Association laid out the guiding principles that the founders hoped all Unitarians would aspire to. These same principles explain the uniquely Unitarian framework of abolitionism within the movement. Instead, the decentralization of Unitarian organization permitted different interpretations and practices of Unitarian values, which fostered adherents with different ideological positions on slavery to manifest these in characteristically Unitarian fashion.