Basic Information

William Lloyd Garrison was an American journalist born in 1805 who strongly advocated against slavery. He also advanced the suffragist movement by publishing many works and using his platform as a leader to further push woman’s rights.

Background Information

William Lloyd Garrison was born in Massachusetts in the year 1805 to a merchant father. From the early age of 13 he began his work as an apprentice in a newspaper taking the role of a writer and editor which became his passion as his life progressed (Public Broadcasting Service, n.d.). Garrison joined the abolitionist movement at the age of 25 as he served his apprenticeship in moral reform (Thomas, L J., 2022). After serving a short stint of 50 days in jail in the year 1830, he returned and started a paper himself called The Liberator. The Liberator was known for being an unforgiving journal which condemned slavery along with having strong opinions on other controversial topics at the time such as feminism (Thomas, L J., 2022).

The Liberator was a powerful newspaper at the time and grew to be the most popular anti-slavery newspaper for the 34 years it was in publication (The Liberator, n.d). Due to Garrison’s radical beliefs on slavery and feminism he was often referred to as the most aggressive abolitionist in the world. Garrison’s beliefs originated from his early involvement in the American Colonization Society which believed that slaves should be returned immediately to Africa. Garrison and many of his followers stemmed from this society and changed their approach to immediatism which was the belief that all slaves should be freed and integrated into society immediately hence the name immediatism. As the years progressed Mr. Garrison’s views became more and more radicalized which raised the question to many if this is the man they should follow or not. One case of William Lloyd Garrison’s extreme actions would be the public burning of the constitution in Massachusetts in 1854 (Thomas, L J., 2022). Garrison was no stranger to public disfavor though as he met opposition at all phases of his journalism career. In 1835 a mob nearly ended Garrison’s life over his views, and he had to be kept in jail for safekeeping until the situation was deemed safe for him (Blight, 2008 p.9). Although he faced many hardships from opposing parties regarding his views, he never let that slow him down or alter his beliefs. Garrison stayed true to his beliefs and made strong points from the beginning of his career to the end to bring true equality to America.

The founding of the American Anti Slavery Society was also a large focus of William Lloyd Garrisons abolitionist career as it helped propel his name amongst other abolitionists.  Working alongside great names such as Fredrick Douglass and suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Garrison used this platform to further expand his views to heights never seen before (Brooks, 1945 p.315).  Through the hundreds of chapters of this society and thousands of members, Mr. Garrison was able to project his views into the union and beyond.

Contributions to the First Wave

William Lloyd Garrison along with being an abolitionist was an influential figure in the suffragist movement in the 1800’s. Being a founding member of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he fought to let women be a part of his organization although many members of the society disagreed and didn’t let women join. In 1838 Garrison formally brought forward “the woman question” which was the argument whether or not women should be included in male anti-slavery societies (Elliot 2020). Garrison wanted women to have leadership roles in abolitionist organizations as he had seen their input firsthand and wanted their views to be shared with all the members. William Lloyd Garrison attended countless woman’s rights conventions in his lifetime one of which being the 1855 Boston Woman’s Rights Convention. Garrison made a statement to the members of the convention that day that he pledges himself to the advancement of woman’s rights and compared the fight for woman’s rights to the abolitionist movement (Thomas, J.D., 2016). Garrison made it a point of his life to make sure that women would one day have the same rights as men and they wouldn’t be disenfranchised any longer. Through his work in The Liberator, Garrison as early as the mid 1830’s was openly publishing feminist material. Garrison published many Maria W. Stewart lectures who was a prominent women’s rights activist of the time (Elliot 2020). Garrison spoke out about woman’s rights issues in many ways than just publishing works though. Garrison attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840 where the question of whether or not women should be able to participate in the conference came to rise. The members of the convention took a vote and it was ultimately decided that woman cannot participate so Mr. Garrison as a result refused to participate in any of the 10 days of the convention (Elliot 2020). Garrison although being one of the most influential abolitionists of the time refused taking part in the convention due to the unfair treatment of women. This really falls in line with Garrison’s morals and his intolerance for unfair treatment of any group of people not just enslaved peoples.

Throughout his life he published countless works promoting women’s right’s which all pushed for women to be equal to men. He has many speeches and writings which shine light on the suffragist movement such as his famous The Anti- Suffragist. In this poem he talks about Remonstra, a made-up woman who doesn’t believe in the suffragist movement and she actively speaks out against it so she becomes a well-known anti-suffragist. He says that men all around the U.S loved listening to her as she spoke what they wanted to hear, and they say it is a shame that she cannot vote or run for office because she would be very successful. This brings up a paradox as men will go to any lengths to not let women vote but in the case of the fictional Remostra they are more than willing to let a woman vote. This poem along with many other beautifully written works were published by Mr. Garrison which changed the views of thousands.

“To redeem woman as well as man from a servile to an equal condition, —we shall go for the rights of woman to their utmost extent.” William Lloyd Garrison (1838)

Analysis and Conclusion

William Lloyd Garrison is a revered abolitionist whose monumental achievements helped shape the abolitionist movement to what it was. His great works in The Liberator gained huge success as it was the largest anti-slavery newspaper of its time. Along with being a great publisher, Garrison was a spokesperson for abolishing slavery and progressing women’s rights. He attended countless conventions in his time and always stood for equality no matter what the situation. Garrison stood by women even though they were almost always at a disadvantage which led him to get close to avid suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. He fought for the woman’s rights to be involved in abolitionist societies which made him disliked by some but a hero for others. William Lloyd Garrison who was seen as a radical extremist to those opposed to him was met by opposition in many phases of his life but found much success as being one of the most influential abolitionists and suffragists of the 1800’s.

References

Blight, D. W. (2008). William Lloyd Garrison at Two Hundred: His Radicalism and His Legacy for Our Time. In J. B. Stewart (Ed.), William Lloyd Garrison at Two Hundred (pp. 1–12). Yale University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1np71c.4

Brooks, E. (1945). Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. The Journal of Negro History, 30(3), 311–330. https://doi.org/10.2307/2715115

Elliot, V. (2020, November 19). A great inheritance: Abolitionist practices in the Women’s Rights Movement (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/a-great-inheritance-abolitionist-practices-in-the-women-s-rights-movement.htm

The Liberator. The Liberator | Smithsonian Digital Volunteers. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://transcription.si.edu/project/11766

Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). William Lloyd Garrison. PBS. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1561.html

Thomas, J. D. (2016, March 11). Women’s rights and the liberator. Accessible Archives Inc. Retrieved November 12, 2022, from https://www.accessible-archives.com/2016/03/1855-womans-rights-convention/

Thomas, J. L. (n.d.). William Lloyd Garrison. Brittanica.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Lloyd-Garrison.

 

 

 

 

 

..