Abolitionists advocating for the liberation of slaves

Famous Abolitionists in History

Famous abolitionists who fought for the freedom of slaves as well as equitable rights for African-American residents include Gerrit Smith, William Lloyd Garrison, and John Brown. John Brown is praised as a hero who, in spite of starting out as a shepherd and tanner, went on to become a symbol of the fight against enslavement.

Gerrit Smith’s Significant Contributions

Wealthy abolitionists Gerrit Smith owned substantial amounts of property and resided in a mansion in Peterboro. He provided John Brown and other abolitionists with financial support. On the other side, William Lloyd Garrison served as editor of The Liberator, the most widely read abolitionist publication. The paper has been described to have few words that were full of hope and holy fire as stated in the Abolitionists part two documentary. Because of the milestones achieved by the peace abolitionists such as advocating for the Personal Liberty Act, the radical peace abolitionists was most successful in advancing the slave abolition cause.

William Lloyd Garrison’s Determination

Garrison worked hard to ensure that slavery was abolished. During one of the anti-slavery meetings, he identified an excellent orator, Mr. Fredrick Douglas whom he coaxed into becoming vocal in the anti-slavery campaigns. His main goal was bringing slavery level to zero “...You must cleave slavery to the ground...” The peaceful nature of Garrison and his fellow abolitionists is further shown by their strategy to isolate the South. This would be achieved by urging the Americans to isolate American slaveholders.

Garrison’s Strategies for Abolition

The strategy used by Garrison was to involve other people to lead in the parts where he had failed as well as identify potential leaders. Since he had failed together with his supporters to converge, slaveholders, Garrison involved Douglas. The other strategy involved the use of street demonstrations to call for the release of slaves. When George Latimer, a twenty-two-year-old runaway slave was arrested, Garrison and his followers caused Boston to be in an uproar until the Sherriff, Eveleth, and his master set him free. They also engaged the State House in their call for personal liberty. After the release of Latimer, the abolitionists collected sixty-five thousand signatures in the show of strength. They then gathered all the documents, rolled them resembling barrels and took them to the statehouse. This led to the passing of the Personal Liberty Act on 18th March 1943.

Garrison’s Ideologies and Beliefs

The ideologies held by Garrison illustrated that he was a radical abolitionist. He advocated for the end of slavery without the use of force and campaigned for the stop of the spread of slavery. This would be done by involving whites in areas where slavery was prone. He also argued that the Constitution facilitated the system of slavery and should, therefore, be amended. He laments on his newspaper, Liberator article on December 29, 1832, that the Constitution was formed at the sacrifice of the people of his race. He wrote, “It was a compact formed at the sacrifice of the bodies and souls of millions of our race, for the sake of achieving a political object-an unblushing and monstrous coalition to do evil and good might come.” This was partly achieved when the Latimer petitions were presented to the Massachusetts court, and the Personal Liberty Act passed. This form of abolitionism was refuted by abolitionists who believed that the Constitution was not a proslavery document.

Gerrit Smith’s Moral Abolitionism

Gerrit Smith was a political abolitionist famed for his belief that slavery was a moral question. Douglass on his North Star paper dated May 23, 1851, stated that Smith supported the use of political and moral power to overthrow slavery. His ideology also involved justice for all citizens. In the Proceedings of the National Liberty Convention, Gerrit illustrated the importance of equality by demonstrating what would happen if the pirates stopped asking for black slaves and instead asked for blue eyes. Smith was criticized for funding the anti-slavery missions.

John Brown’s Militant Abolitionism

John Brown was a militant abolitionist who eventually died for the abolitionist cause. His goal was to have a just America with no slavery. His ideology involved supporting human dignity. His body value was not worth more than ideal things. Brown was at the time of his death the only man who stood persistently for the dignity and equality of human beings. His friend as quoted in The Echoes of Harper’s Ferry says that “No man in America has ever stood up so persistently and effectively for the dignity of human nature, knowing himself for a man, and the equal of any and all governments.” Brown also believed in justice. He believed that being just cost one nothing. This is supported by his doctrine that everybody had the right to intervene and save a slave. He failed to understand why in the case force was used; people were shocked by the death of the slaveholder and not the slave.

Brown’s Strategy of Using Force

Brown’s strategy involved the use of force. He argued that power could be used to intervene and save a slave from the slaveholder. He also carried out a raid at Kansas City which left many people dead. The strategy involved handpicking men and grouping them into groups of five, who would then go to the mountain and raid the plantations to free the slaves of Virginia.

Justification for the Use of Force

His ideology on the use of force could not be challenged as seen by the letter in response to the Quaker woman. Brown justified his use of force by saying that Jesus once armed Peter. He argued that Christ put a sword in his arm during the fight and took it away from him when it was the best time. His forceful nature is also described by his friend Reverend Martin when he said described that John Brown would have approved the use of the battlefield. His quest for justice is also noted in this letter where he laments that people only criticized him because he used the sword to defend the afflicted and not the rich, powerful, and intelligent. He wrote, “...Had it been on behalf of the rich and powerful, the intelligent, the great (as men count greatness), or those who form enactments to suit themselves..., it would have been doing very well.”

Shared Visions for Post-Slavery America

Gerrit Smith disagrees with Garrison on the role of the Constitution in slavery. While Garrison believed that the Constitution was made with the intention of sacrificing the people of his race, Smith believes that promoting slavery was not the intention. He explained that very few framers of the Constitution intended to get slavery into it. There were also shared visions of the post-slavery America. John Brown, as well as Gerrit Smith, envisioned an America where all citizens were treated equally. Both Garrison and Smith also had a common strategy of getting people to come to a moment of consciousness. Judging from the achievements of every group of abolitionists, the peace abolitionists were most successful since they changed the Constitution to suit their ideology as well as their ability to involve more abolitionists such as Mr. Fredrick Douglas.

References

“Abolitionists part 2,” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7PXU7Gzi50 (accessed February 23, 2017).

F.B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown (Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1891), 582-83.

James Redpath, Echoes of Herper’s Ferry (Boston: Thayer and Eldridge, 1860), 2,30, 37-38, 41-42.

North Star, May 23, 1851, reprinted in the Liberator, May 23,1851.

The Liberator, December 9, 1859, in Blacks on John Brown, ed. Benjamin Quarles (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1972), 26-27.

Proceedings of the National Liberty Convention (Utica: S.W. Green, 1848), 15-16.

William L. Garrison,”On The Constitution and the Union, 1832”, Liberator, December 29,1832.