ipl-logo

How Effective Was William Lloyd Garrison An Abolitionist?

1181 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critically appraise the abolitionist movement

An influential opponent of slavery, William Lloyd Garrison played an important role in the movement. He was well-known for advocating for a variety of causes, such as women's equality, and renowned for his non-violent abolitionist strategies. The Liberator, a well-known abolitionist publication in the North, was founded by Garrison. Northerners learned how morally evil slavery was because of his persuasive arguments. This demonstrates Garrison’s success as it enabled him to share his stories in another way. The newspaper was profitable until slavery was abolished in 1863. When speaking about the Liberator Garrison said “I will be harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with …show more content…

“I am in earnest, - I will not equivocate, - I will not excuse, I will not retreat a single inch – and I will be heard,” Garrison promised13. Garrison would not omit any information; rather, he would write the harrowing details people needed to read to abolish slavery. This demonstrates how effective he was as an abolitionist and how effective he would remain until The Liberator was published. He wanted to abolish slavery without using violent tactics. His strategies were successful because he drew more public attention and was applauded for maintaining his composure and refraining from using force. This demonstrates how Garrison ended slavery because he kept his word and abstained from employing violent methods. Although Garrison supported non-violent slavery abolition, other pro-slavery settlers disagreed. During one of Garrison's speeches in October 1835, he was tied up and dragged through Boston under threat of execution for his anti-slavery beliefs. This strengthens the argument that Garrison was an effective abolitionist because he kept his word and maintained composure. This is when most of his …show more content…

One was whether the 13th Amendment violated the Constitution. Garrison thought the constitution always supported slavery, whereas Douglass thought it was unconstitutional and should not be added. As they both held extreme views, this led to disagreement between them and more arguments. Douglass declared that he supported the constitution and believed it would end slavery. When he said this, many people dissented from him and said they did not think it would succeed. The Liberator and the North Star both published editorials on this topic outlining their perspectives on the subject. It could be argued that Douglass was not a successful abolitionist because of his divisive views, which cost him many supporters. It also demonstrates why abolitionists needed distinctly defined positions to avoid alienating supporters. Abolitionists typically had strong opinions and arguments because they all shared the same goal but lacked the knowledge to fight effectively. They acted independently, which made them succeed later than they should have. It is thought that if the abolitionists had cooperated, slavery would have been abolished

Show More
Related
487 Words | 2 Pages

Garrison and his followers advocated the abolition of slavery on moral grounds but did not support armed resistance. Lloyd William Garrison appears in the novel in the very beginning of the novel in the preface. In his preface, people didn't believe that a slave was capable of writing his own autobiography. William Lloyd Garrison's preface is there to help Douglass prove that he wrote the book on his own. In order to prove that he wrote the book on his own, he needs the validation of a white man.

Read More
378 Words | 2 Pages

They were exceptionally poor and he soon became an understudy to a printer at thirteen years old. This was to be the start of his life in Journalism. Garrison was against slavery, yet when meeting Benjamin Lundy in 1828, he turned into an abolitionist. Lundy was an abolitionist bondage proselytizer and coordinator, who possessed a daily paper. Battalion would later be placed in prison for seven months in the wake of propelling assaults on slave merchants.

Read More
243 Words | 1 Pages

Frederick Douglass believed that the Constitution was an anti-slavery document. Principles of the Constitution blatantly oppose slavery, and therefore the Constitution is a vital tool to utilize as a means of abolishing slavery. Douglass was first introduced to William Lloyd Garrison and his writings after he became a free man. Douglass would eventually depart from Garrison’s view of the Constitution, but this was not his initial reaction to Garrison’s principles. Douglass states that he was enamored by Garrison and his fiery denunciation of slavery.

Read More
2297 Words | 10 Pages

Many said watching him speak in person came with “bragging rights”. Even William Lloyd Garrison, a famous and highly respected abolitionist, was moved by Douglass’s words. Garrison believed Douglass could end slavery by campaigning around the country, telling his story. Douglass could make anyone that heard him hate slavery more than they had in their entire life before that moment. Douglass was one of the first fugitive slave speakers, and one of the only escaped slaves that were knowledgeable enough to do so.

Read More
153 Words | 1 Pages

William Lloyd Garrison felt he was destined to do great “things”. William Lloyd Garrison was very Christian, and his father abandoned him at the age of two. He arrived in Boston at the age of twenty-two, and was mortified of how slaves were treated. This is when he thought his cause in life was to end slavery, and he believed that God was calling for him to do the right thing (The Abolitionists). Frederick Douglass witnessed his first view of slavery at only the age of six.

Read More
215 Words | 1 Pages

Garrison continued writing in the The Liberator in 1861, and now he was publishing articles in which he defended Abraham Lincoln and his policies despite his own pacifist ideals on politics (Jacobs 274). Garrison persisted on criticizing the nation’s Constitution in his newspaper, which was not an uncommon way of him demonstrating his resistance. But now it was a surprise to many that Garrison, who asserted that he antiwar, was taking advantage of his influential situation with The Liberator to encourage and display accord towards Abraham Lincoln and his war campaigns previous to the creation Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. Garrison continued criticizing the national government for having made slavery legal. Garrison, at the commencement

Read More
194 Words | 1 Pages

As previously stated, William Lloyd Garrison’s use of rhetoric techniques were executed in a manner better than Frederick Douglass; an example of this is his use of loaded language. In the very beginning of Garrison’s speech he says, “‘that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’” He used many accounts of loaded language to connect with the listener in the very beginning of his speech to draw the listener into the issue. Garrison also states, “Such, at least, is the verdict of my own soul, on the supposition that I am to be the slave; that my wife is to be sold from me for the vilest purposes; that my children are to

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

Immediate emancipation, the concept of abolishing slavery immediately, would destroy the Southern economy as their main source of income was slavery and auctioning off slaves. Abolitionists like Garrison followed this ideology. Many believed that this was the only effective way to end slavery because doing so gradually would have taken too long and failed to free these slaves. Although it could be argued that this would not work and would instead destroy the south, many abolitionists failed to consider this repercussion. This demonstrates how the abolitionists' attempts to end slavery were unsuccessful.

Read More
512 Words | 3 Pages

William Lloyd Garrison was an extremely outspoken and unapologetic abolitionist of his time. He was completely unwilling to compromise on slavery. Garrison believed that abolition must be complete, immediate, and without compensation for slaves freed. He also did not concern himself with what other social or economic problems may appear due to the emancipation of slaves. Some scholars think that because his words were so harsh and extreme, he may have alienated himself from many people who may have supported him and his cause.

Read More
596 Words | 3 Pages

All people are created equal, and they deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This is stated in the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution grants these rights to all human beings. In his editorial, “No Compromise With Slavery,” William Lloyd Garrison exposes that freedom and slavery contradict each other. Throughout the text, Garrison uses his passion for abolishing slavery to convince the readers that slavery is amoral and the work of the devil. Lloyd disputes that a country can stand for both freedom and slavery.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

Douglass took his first step to abolish slavery by further educating himself, and he continued his reading. He subscribed to William Lloyd Garrison’s journal, The Liberator, and attended many of Garrison’s speeches. Douglass stated, “No face and form ever impressed me with such sentiments as did those of William Lloyd Garrison” (“Frederick Douglass”). He also joined numerous anti-slavery organizations, including a black church and Abolitionists’ meetings (“Frederick Douglass Biography”). At the meetings, Douglass would share his past experiences, and many were impressed by his rhetorical skills, so Douglass became a regular lecturer.

Read More
236 Words | 1 Pages

William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and the author of a weekly journal, the liberator. Ironically, Garrison really became a notorious and famous abolitionist only after the South published his work in news papers in an attempt to condemn him. Garrison’s weekly journal became the main journal of abolitionist. Garrison called for the immediate abolishment of slavery in America and for blacks to be viewed as Americans. With the help of other abolitionists, Garrison’s conceptions spread across the North.

Read More
1394 Words | 6 Pages

During this time Douglass influenced much of the new legislation passed, one of the most notable pieces of legislation that he argued in favor of was the 15th amendment. He argued that freedom for black slaves would be almost useless if their voting rights weren’t protected and because of this Abraham Lincoln had decided to pass the 15th amendment. Despite the fact that it was completely out of control, the fact that Douglass was an African American man in the 19th century united states was an incredible weakness. Even though he was a very educated and talented writer as well as speaker, many people during that time were unwilling to listen to what he had to say just because of his race. Despite being a black American and facing almost every obstacle imaginable, Douglass overcame all odds and, in the end, had a huge impact on the future of the United

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

(American Government) To list in detail some of the many social reforms that were fought for during this time period, and the reasoning behind them, Richard Kaplan also writes, “The religious leaders in that time period believed that the evils of alcohol could result in a decrease in work productivity and lead to additional vices, including gambling and prostitution. By the 1830s, the context was ripe for abolitionism and women 's rights. The New England abolitionist and editor of The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison, did much to publicize the evils of slavery so the public could understand the cruelty the slaves had to deal with every

Read More
1246 Words | 5 Pages

Abolitionist had varied perspectives on emancipation and what was considered the right solution to the “peculiar institution”. Different groups like the American Anti-Slavery Society and the American Colonization Society were both fighting to abolish slavery; however, they acted in contradicting ways. One group wanted to include and invite free slaves into American society and the other wanted to free and send slaves back to Africa. The diverse opinions made it difficult for progress to occur. In fact, the one and only thing most people could agree on was the notion that slavery was immoral and inhumane.

Read More

More about How Effective Was William Lloyd Garrison An Abolitionist?

Related Topics

Open Document