Early Life and Education
- Life - (December 12, 1805 – May 24, 1879)
- 1806 - moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts
- 1808 - Garrison's father becomes unemployed and runs out on his family
- 1818 - At 13 Garrison works as apprentice compositor for Newburyport Herald
- After his apprenticeship, Garrison and a young editor started to create their own newspaper, the short lived Free Press, used abolitionists poets to feature in the articles
- This newspaper gave Garrison the crucial tools needed to succeed in writing the liberator that would receive national recognition and provide him with skills he will use for public speaking
- 1828 - garrison appointed editor of the National Philanthropist
Career
- At 25 Garrison Joined anti - slavery movement
- 1826 - credited the works of Reverend John Rankin for his book Letters on Slavery, attracting Garrison to the cause
- For a brief time, he was involved in the American Colonization Society, an organisation that promoted the resettlement of free blacks to west Africa. However, southerners believed that relocation preserved the institution of slavery with a lack of free blacks in society and therefore Garrison apologised publicly for his involvement in the movement and declared it as a mistake.
- Garrison became writer and co-editor of Genius of Universal Emancipation and based on experience, allowed Benjamin Lundy to proceed the nation making public speeches, Garrison changed the layout of the newspaper and initially sharing Lundy's views as a gradualist, Garrison changed his opinion towards the immediate and complete emancipation of slaves.
- Lundy and Garrison continued to work together, Garrison introduced the Black List which was a section of the newspaper devoted to the odious features of slavery such as kidnappings whippings etc.
- Example was Francis Todd who was accused of illegal shipping's by Garrison and filed a suit against him and Lundy hoping for pro slavery courts to support him.
- Garrison could not pay find placed against him and went to jail in Baltimore for 6 months when money was donated for his release, he moved from Baltimore and his work with Lundy was over
- In 1855, his eight-year alliance with Frederick Douglass disintegrated when Douglass converted to political abolitionists’ view that the document could be interpreted as being anti-slavery.
Liberator
- 1831 - Garrison returns to New England, founded a weekly anti slavery newspaper, the Liberator - known as his most iconic piece of work
- In his first publication, Garrison showed is strong and immediate Abolitionist view, he used terminology such as, " Urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present ... I will not retreat - AND I WILL BE HEARD." This shows Garrison's motives as a stringent abolitionist and immediatist
- In 1834 it had two thousand subscribers, three-fourths of whom were blacks
- Benefactors paid to have the newspaper distributed to influential statesmen and public officials.
- Although he did not opt for physical emancipation of Slaves, his critics took the immediate emancipation of slaves very literal
- Some blamed him for advocating the immediate freeing of all black slaves
- South Blamed the Liberator for slave rebellions in north Carolina and Garrison came under fire
- He was indicted for incendiary material and $5000 reward for his capture
- 1856 - He published articles about the famous Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- 1861 - The Liberator continued to develop mass northern support and further gained more readers in England, Scotland, and Canada. It was received in state legislatures, the White House, Congress and governor's mansions.
- The last issue of the newspaper was published on 29th December 1865 where Garrison referred to his long career as a writer and editor and the Justice of the emancipation of Slavery. He stated, "The object for which the Liberator was commenced—the extermination of chattel slavery—having been gloriously consummated."
- This would imply that the Liberator was a success.
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