William Lloyd Garrison

Nathaniel Jocelyn - William Lloyd Garrison - NPG.96.102 - National Portrait Gallery

William Lloyd Garrison portrait

Helen Eliza Benson Garrison

Anne Whitney, William Lloyd Garrison

Oliver Johnson (1809-1889)

Broadside of John Brown's last speech

William Lloyd Garrison (December 10, 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known for his editorship of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and for his founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison was one of the most vocal advocates for the immediate abolition of slavery in the United States.

Early Life

William Lloyd Garrison was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on December 10, 1805. His experience with poverty and his father's desertion of the family influenced his later views and activism. Garrison's formal education was limited, but he was apprenticed to a local printer, which introduced him to the world of publishing and reform movements.

Career

In 1828, Garrison began working for the National Philanthropist, a newspaper dedicated to the temperance movement. His experiences there and with other reformist publications helped shape his fervent opposition to slavery. In 1831, Garrison launched The Liberator in Boston, which would become one of the most influential anti-slavery publications in the pre-Civil War era. Through The Liberator, Garrison advocated for the immediate emancipation of all enslaved people, a radical stance at the time.

Garrison's activism was not limited to his journalism. In 1833, he helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society, which sought to end slavery through moral persuasion and nonviolent resistance. Garrison's approach to abolition was controversial, even among other abolitionists. He was a proponent of pacifism, women's suffrage, and equal rights for African Americans, which led to conflicts within the abolitionist movement.

Controversies and Challenges

Garrison's advocacy for immediate abolition and equal rights for African Americans drew significant opposition. He was often threatened with violence, and in 1835, a mob dragged him through the streets of Boston. Despite these challenges, Garrison remained committed to his cause, using The Liberator as a platform to denounce slavery and call for social reform.

Garrison's views on the United States Constitution also sparked controversy. He believed the Constitution was a pro-slavery document and famously burned a copy of it during a Fourth of July speech, declaring it "a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell."

Later Life and Legacy

After the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Garrison ended the publication of The Liberator in 1865. He continued to advocate for civil rights and women's suffrage until his death in New York City on May 24, 1879.

William Lloyd Garrison's legacy is that of a radical reformer whose unwavering commitment to justice and equality helped change the course of American history. His methods and beliefs, particularly his emphasis on immediate emancipation and equal rights, influenced future generations of activists.