William Lloyd Garrison -Bitta Kahangi

William Lloyd Garrison was born on December 10, 1805 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. As he grew up he tried his hand at a variety of apprenticeships, such as shoemaker and cabinet maker, but none stuck like printer.  In 1818, he finally found his match and began to enter the printing world. He started as a writer and soon became an editor. Garrison was influenced by Benjamin Lundy, a preacher of the abolition of slavery. Garrison joined him in editing the Genius of Universal Emancipation in 1829. He officially joined the abolition movement at age twenty-five. Eventually, Lundy and Garrison’s differences in opinion caused the two to break apart. Specifically, Lundy preferred gradual emancipation while Garrison favored immediate emancipation. Garrison’s time in jail rooted his belief in immediate emancipation. He was held for not being able to pay a fine after he was held for libel after criticizing a merchant engaged in the slave trade. After parting with Lundy, Garrison formed his own paper. In 1831, a year after he was released, The Liberator was first published. The Liberator was an abolitionist newspaper that Garrison would publish once a week for thirty-five years. The majority of its readers were African Americans. Garrison also expressed his opinions on abolition through lectures he would give in Boston, Massachusetts. Then, in 1832, Garrison founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society. They wanted an immediate abolition of slavery and viewed it as immoral and unchristian. The Society also was greatly opposed to the American Colonization Society who focused on sending Blacks back to Africa. A year later in 1833, he helped organize the American Anti-Slavery Society along with Arthur Tappan. He was the society’s first corresponding secretary and wrote its Declaration of Sentiments. Around this time, the number of anti-slavery society’s increased greatly in the north. They were more or less united until 1840. In 1840, Garrison felt it necessary to admit women into the society because he believed in equality between men and women. When he attended the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention, Garrison refused to be seated because the women were excluded from the meeting. This broke the Society in two and the American and Foreign Anti-slavery Society was formed as a rival society.  The Liberty Party also formed and broke away as a political anti slavery group. They believed that the Constitution was an anti-slavery document. Garrison would try to appeal to the church and Christians by stating it was Christian to be against slavery. While Garrison hated war, he worried that, without an immediate solution to the situation, it was inevitable. Soon the Civil War broke out between the North and the South. Garrison was a supporter of Lincoln; although, he did criticize the fact that Lincoln’s main goal was to retain and hold the union together instead of abolishing slavery. Naturally, he agreed with the Emancipation Proclamation which declared the freedom of slaves in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation was finalized by the Thirteenth amendment in 1865. After the passing of the amendment, Garrison resigned as there was no longer slavery to fight against. 


Works Cited

"William Lloyd Garrison : Biography." Spartacus Educational. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASgarrison.htm>.

"William Lloyd Garrison Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com." Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.biography.com/people/william-lloyd-garrison-9307251?page=2>.

"William Lloyd Garrison." NNDB: Tracking the Entire World. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nndb.com/people/966/000049819/>.

"William Lloyd Garrison." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html>.