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How Effective Was William Lloyd Garrison An Abolitionist?

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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

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