Show t WILLIAM LLOYD LLOTD GARRISON AND EARLY ABOLITIONISTS 1 In writing of the early abolitionists it will be necessary to mention the name of V Benjamin Lundy b before fore that of William Lloyd Garrison as he was the first advocate advocate advocate cate cate of the abolition of slavery in the United States and the one who converted Mr Garrison to his views Benjamin a Lundy was born in Sussex county N. N J. J January 1789 of Quaker parents From his boyhood he was strongly opposed opposed opposed op op- posed to slavery and though he possessed no remarkable gifts he devoted his whole life unselfishly to this one object the object the cause of human liberty In 1815 15 he founded the Union Humane Society and took a decided stand as a friend of emancipation He Ie also published published published pub pub- a paper on this subject and traveled extensively in the Southern States organizing organizing organizing organ organ- izing abolition societies and often holding public slavery anti-slavery meetings He thought it necessary to prepare some place for the negroes to live after they had gained their liberty so in 1825 he visited Hayti Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico and Canada to make provisions for their emigration from the United States When he returned he made long journeys on foot throughout a t great part of his own country and among the converts to his views was William Lloyd Garrison He removed his paper from Mt Pleasant 0 O. where it was first published to Washington Washing Washing- ton and next to Philadelphia where in 1838 the burning of Pennsylvania Hall Han Hallby Hallby Hanby by a mob left him penniless his effects having been destroyed in the fire He then removed to Lowell Ill and died there of a fever August 1839 1539 having spent all his time and property to free the slave His successors led by Mr 1 Garrison Garri Garri- son were stronger and abler men but none were more devoted than he William Lloyd Garrison the leader of J the abolition of slavery in the 11 United States was born in N Newburyport Mass J Dec loth 1805 When William was a achild achild i child his father left home and from his hish 1 mot mother h er a woman of high character he inherited the moral qualities which especially especially especially A ally fitted him for his career His education education education tion was limited but he took advantage of every opp opportunity for reading and gaining r information He fIe began shoemaking as a trade but soon tired of it and attempted cabinet making but neither occupation seemed to please him but when fourteen years old he was made happy by being taken as an apprentice to learn learl the printers print print- ers trade by the proprietors of the Newbury Newburyport Newburyport New New- bury ort Herald In this occupation he found a happy stimulus to his literary taste and ambition as well as an available opportunity for mental culture He soon became an expert compositor and began to write anonymously for the Herald the editor of which highly commended commended commended com com- mended the articles but had not the slightest slight slight- est idea that he was the author He wrote also for other papers with equal success With his minority expired his apprenticeship in 1826 when he published the Free Press which was followed bythe by bythe the National Ph Philanthropist za nth ro the first paper published in America to promote total abstinence from intoxicating liquors In 1828 he published the Journal of the theT T Times lles which supported the re-election re of John Quincy Adams as President It was wasat wasat wasat at this time that he met Benjamin Lundy who vho was then publishing a paper called the Genius of Universal Emancipation and Mr Lundy invited Mr Garrison to join him in the editorship which he did These two men having at heart the same desire differed radically on one point Mr tu Lundy ay being in favor of gradual emancipation emancipation emancipation pation while Mr Garrison held that the sinfulness ness of slavery being admitted the Negroes should be immediately freed on ont t the e soil of th their ir own country with all the rights of free men These men met with ma many y obstacles as many of the citizens citizens' were were greatly opposed to their th ir views Baltimore Balti ore was at this time one one ne of of the centers of the slave trade and a vessel owned in n Newburyport had taken takena a cargo of slaves from Baltimore to New Orleans In his paper Mr Garrison characterized the transaction as an act of 01 domestic piracy and avowed his determination determination deter deter- to cover with thick infamy those engaged therein The owner of the vessel being greatly enraged had him prosecuted for libel and fined 50 and costs of court in default of payment he was committed to jail His imprisonment created much excitement among all classes While in jail he inscribed several sonnets on the walls of his cell which were afterward afterward afterward after after- after after- ward published One of these Freedom of the Mind will ever hold a prominent place in American literature John G. G Whittier interceded with Henry Clay a slave-holding slave statesman to pay Mr Garrisons Garrison's Garrisons Garrison's Garrisons Garrison's Gar Gar- rison's fine which he consented to do but before he had time for the necessary preliminaries preliminaries preliminaries pre pre- Mr Tappan a merchant of N New ew York contributed the sum and set him free The partnership between Mr Lundy and Garrison was then dissolved by mutual consent Mr Garrison then tried to awaken interest in a paper he in intended intended intended in- in tended publishing but he failed and could get no assistance whatever so on January i i 1831 without a dollar of capital save hands and brain he and his brave partner Mr Isaac Knapp avowed their determination determination to print their paper The Tile Liberator as long as they could subsist on bread and water The Liberator demanded that every slave held in the United States be immediately and unconditionally freed Mr Gari Garrison ison ison believed that this could be bedone bedone bedone done without destroying the Union but if it could not then he would break up the Union to liberate the slave The motto of their paper was Our country is the mankind and world our countrymen are the editor in his address to the public uttered these very impressive words Iam Iam I Iam am in earnest I will not equivocate I will not excuse I will not retreat a single singie inch and I will be heard Help came but slowly but the paper exerted a mighty in- in fluence and it lived not net only to record President Lincoln's proclamation of emancipation but also an adoption of an amendment to the constitution of the United States forever prohibiting slavery The Liberator caused much agitation which was carried into political parties into the press and into the legislative and ecclesiastical assemblies until 1860 when the Southern States seceded from the Union and set up a separate government In the struggle that ensued slavery was abolished by an exercise of the powers of war as a necessary means of restoring the Union Mr Garrison sought the abolition abolition abolition tion of slavery by moral means alone and he organized several societies in accordance accordance accordance accord accord- ance with his principles He traveled considerable and was everywhere received ed with cordiality in such countries as England here the people were very much surprised to see that he was a white whiteman whiteman whiteman man as they had heard of his strong movement in the cause of abolition and supposed that none but a colored man would be an advocate of the cause this compliment was the only one Mr Garrisson Garris- Garris son ever cared to repeat He was strongly strong strong- ly in favor of the rights of women to vote in the slavery anti-slavery societies and upon one occasion when the societies sent their delegates to the W Worlds World's orId's slavery anti-slavery convention convention convention con con- in London he refused to take his seat in that body because the women delegates from the United States were excluded When the Southern States seceded from the Union he saw that slavery would perish in the struggle and from that hour he ceased to advocate disunion and devoted himself to preparing the way for the inevitable end His services at this period were recognized and honored by President Lincoln and others in authority and the whole country knew that the agitation which made the thea a abolition of slavery feasible and necessary was due to his spirit and courage He lived to witness the redemption of his country from the curse of human bondage bondage bondage bond bond- age not indeed by the means which he preferred but by war None the less did he see sec in the great event the hand of Divine Providence on which he had always relied for support in the great struggle to which his life was devoted In 1865 at the close of the war he declared declared declared de de- that slavery being abolished his 1 career career as an abolitionist was ended Tu The e t Liberator was then discontinued after an i existence of thirty-five thirty years and he A again visited England and was received with great reat public and private honors He died in New York May 1879 at the e i age of 74 and was buried in Boston after a most impressive funeral service i iMay May It seems that it remained for Mr Garrison Garrison Garrison Gar Gar- rison to carry out the desire of many of our great men since the time of Washington Washington Wash Wash- V ashington ash ash- ington as as' as asit it will be remembered that Washington provided for the emancipation tion of his own slaves and he said to J Jefferson Jefferson Jef Jef- efferson ef- ef ferson at one time that it it was among his first w to see some plan adopted by which slavery in his own country might be abolished by law John Adams declared declared declared de de- his abhorrence of the practice and Benjamin Franklin Madison Hamilton and Patrick Henry used their influence to abolish slavery After Mr Garrison appeared appeared appeared ap ap- such men as Elijah P. P Lovejoy Wendell Phillips Charles Sumner and John Brown all of whom were leading abolitionists but the praise honor and success of the movement is due to William William William Wil Wil- liam Lloyd Garrison ORALIE M. M ATWOOD J |