Omar Bennett
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and founding editor of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. He believed that the US Constitution was a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell, referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the document. In 1854, Garrison publicly burned a copy of the Constitution, denouncing it as a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so would mean supporting the pro-slavery Constitution. Instead, he argued for a dissolution of the Union under the slogan No Union with Slaveholders. Garrison's opposition to the Union stemmed from a desire to avoid the corruption that came from participating in a government created by the pro-slavery Constitution. He believed that the legal protection of slavery in the Constitution made political activity futile and that support for the Constitution strengthened slavery's hold on America.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| View on the U.S. Constitution | A "covenant with death", "an agreement with Hell", and a "pact with the devil" that ought to be immediately discarded |
| Views on slavery | Believed in the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves |
| Views on the Union | Supported the dissolution of the Union and peaceful Northern secession from a slaveholding South |
| Views on politics and government | Refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so meant supporting "the pro-slavery, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States" |
| Views on religion | Opposed a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ on the basis of religious freedom |
| Views on the Republic | Believed the Republic was corrupt |
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What You'll Learn
- William Lloyd Garrison believed the US Constitution was a covenant with death
- He refused to participate in American electoral politics
- He believed the Republic was corrupt and burned the Constitution
- He opposed a proposed amendment affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ
- He supported Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation
William Lloyd Garrison believed the US Constitution was a covenant with death
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and founding editor of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. He was a strong advocate for the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves. Garrison believed that the US Constitution was a "covenant with death" and "an agreement with Hell", referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the document. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so would mean supporting the pro-slavery Constitution.
Garrison's views on the Constitution were shaped by his belief that it was a pact with the devil that ought to be immediately discarded due to its unjust and unnecessary compromises with slavery. He argued that the Constitution was the result of a terrible bargain between freedom and slavery, and that it was a wicked document that was the true underpinning of the institution of slavery. This belief was reinforced when James Madison's notes from the Constitutional Convention were published in the early 1840s, revealing that the Founding Fathers had traded union and white liberty for black slavery.
Garrison's opposition to the Constitution and the Union was so strong that he publicly burned a copy of the Constitution in 1854 at an abolitionist rally in Framingham, Massachusetts. He also burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to send Anthony Burns back into slavery, declaring that these documents were "the source and parent of all the other atrocities".
Garrison's views on the Constitution were not without controversy, even among abolitionists. Some abolitionists, such as Henry Stanton, disagreed with Garrison's insistence that the US Constitution was a pro-slavery document and that abolitionists should not participate in politics and government. Instead, they wanted to form an anti-slavery political party and seek a political solution to slavery. Despite this opposition, Garrison remained steadfast in his belief that the Constitution was a "covenant with death" and continued to argue for the dissolution of the Union.
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He refused to participate in American electoral politics
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist who believed that the U.S. Constitution was a "covenant with death" and a pro-slavery document. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because he saw that supporting the Constitution meant supporting slavery and the war. Instead, he argued for a dissolution of the Union under the slogan "No Union with Slaveholders".
Garrison's opposition to the Union was based on his desire to avoid the corruption that came with participating in a government created by the pro-slavery Constitution. He and his supporters, the Garrisonians, believed that the legal protection of slavery in the Constitution made political activity futile, and that supporting the Constitution only strengthened slavery's hold on America.
Garrison's views on the Constitution and the Union were influenced by his experiences as an abolitionist. He was the founding editor of The Liberator, a popular anti-slavery newspaper that began publication in 1831. The Liberator's uncompromising stance in favor of immediate emancipation for all slaves earned Garrison a reputation as a dangerous fanatic and agitator, especially in the South. He used the newspaper as a platform to denounce not just slavery but also anyone and anything that supported it, including the Constitution and the Union.
Garrison's beliefs about the Constitution were further reinforced when James Madison's notes from the Constitutional Convention were published in the early 1840s. These notes revealed that the Founding Fathers had made compromises between union and white liberty, and black slavery. This discovery shocked Garrison and his allies, who could no longer see the Constitution as inherently anti-slavery. They now viewed it as a wicked document that underpinned the institution of slavery.
In addition to his refusal to participate in American electoral politics, Garrison also took other actions to demonstrate his opposition to the Constitution. On July 4, 1854, he publicly burned a copy of the Constitution at an abolitionist rally in Framingham, Massachusetts. This act symbolized his condemnation of the document as "a Covenant with Death, an Agreement with Hell," referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the Constitution.
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He believed the Republic was corrupt and burned the Constitution
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and founding editor of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. He believed that the US Constitution was a "covenant with death" and a compromise between freedom and slavery, referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the document.
Garrison's views on the Constitution led him to refuse to participate in American electoral politics. He believed that the Republic was corrupt and that the only remedy was a dissolution of the Union. He argued that the legal protection of slavery in the Constitution made political activity futile, and that support for the Constitution strengthened slavery's hold on America.
Garrison's beliefs were influenced by his background in New England federalism and Christian benevolence, as well as his work with pioneer abolitionist Benjamin Lundy. His uncompromising stance on immediate emancipation for all slaves earned him a reputation as a dangerous fanatic and agitator, particularly in the South.
In 1854, after 25 years of fighting for the abolition of slavery, Garrison publicly burned a copy of the Constitution at an abolitionist rally in Framingham, Massachusetts. He denounced the document as "a Covenant with Death, an Agreement with Hell," and "the source and parent of all the other atrocities," calling for the end of all compromises with tyranny.
Garrison's actions and beliefs demonstrate his passionate commitment to ending slavery and his willingness to take drastic measures to bring about change.
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He opposed a proposed amendment affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and founding editor of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator. He believed that the U.S. Constitution was a "covenant with death" and an "agreement with Hell", referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the Constitution. In 1854, he publicly burned a copy of the Constitution at an abolitionist rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, condemning it as "a Covenant with Death, an Agreement with Hell". He also opposed a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would affirm the divinity of Jesus Christ, on the basis of religious freedom.
Garrison wrote that:
> no one can fail to see that the Jew, Unitarian, or Deist could not worship in his own way, as an American citizen, precisely because the Constitution, under which his citizenship exists, would make faith in the New Testament and the divinity of Jesus Christ a national creed.
Garrison's opposition to the amendment was rooted in his belief that the Constitution should not be used to impose religious beliefs on citizens. He felt that such an amendment would infringe on the religious freedom of those who did not share the same beliefs, including Jews, Unitarians, and Deists.
Garrison's stance on the proposed amendment is consistent with his broader commitment to egalitarian principles and his opposition to slavery. He believed that the Constitution, as it stood, was a pro-slavery document and that abolitionists should not participate in politics and government. This belief led to a split among abolitionists, with some, like Henry Stanton, wanting to form an anti-slavery political party and seek a political solution to slavery.
Garrison's views on the Constitution and his refusal to participate in American electoral politics stemmed from his conviction that the legal protection of slavery in the Constitution made political activity futile. He argued for the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves and felt that the Constitution, as a pro-slavery document, was an impediment to this goal.
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He supported Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation
William Lloyd Garrison was a renowned abolitionist and the founding editor of The Liberator, a popular anti-slavery Boston newspaper. He believed that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document and, therefore, refused to participate in American electoral politics. Garrison's opposition to the Union stemmed from a desire to avoid the corruption that came with a government created by the pro-slavery Constitution.
With the onset of the Civil War, Garrison placed his support behind Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. However, his support for Lincoln and emancipation unearthed his latent conservatism, as he did not advocate for the immediate granting of political rights to freed slaves. Garrison's stance on emancipation stressed "moral suasion", non-violence, and passive resistance. He argued for the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves, a belief that earned him recognition as one of the most radical anti-slavery advocates in American history.
Garrison's support for Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation can be understood in the context of his broader beliefs and actions. In 1837, he embraced the Christian "perfectionism" doctrine, which supported abolition and women's rights, and demanded that citizens not participate in a corrupt society. This influenced his principle of ""No Union With Slaveholders", which called for a peaceful secession from the South.
Garrison's interpretation of the Constitution as pro-slavery was not universally accepted, even within the abolitionist movement. Some abolitionists, like James Birney, argued that the Constitution was anti-slavery. This divide among abolitionists led to the formation of different political groups, with some breaking away from Garrison's American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) to form the Liberty Party in 1840.
Despite his support for Lincoln, Garrison did not always agree with the President's actions. Lincoln received criticism for not issuing a proclamation of emancipation immediately, but his decision was based on sound political advice. Lincoln met with his cabinet in 1862 and informed them of his intention to issue an emancipation proclamation, acting on the authority granted by Congress. However, he asked for their advice and input on the proclamation's content. Lincoln's response to General Fremont's proclamation in 1861 also gave the appearance of not supporting emancipation. He objected to a clause concerning the liberation of slaves, stating that it went beyond the legal authority granted by Congress to the Chief Executive.
In conclusion, William Lloyd Garrison's support for Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation was aligned with his abolitionist beliefs and advocacy for the immediate emancipation of all slaves. However, his stance on emancipation also revealed his conservatism regarding the political rights of freed slaves.
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Frequently asked questions
William Lloyd Garrison believed the US Constitution was a "'covenant with death'" and "'an agreement with Hell', referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the Constitution.
Yes, William Lloyd Garrison thought the US Constitution needed updating. He believed it was a pro-slavery document and wanted it to be immediately discarded.
In 1854, William Lloyd Garrison publicly burned a copy of the US Constitution at an abolitionist rally in Framingham, Massachusetts.
No, William Lloyd Garrison refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so would mean supporting "the pro-slavery, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States".
William Lloyd Garrison's approach to emancipation stressed "moral suasion", non-violence, and passive resistance. He argued for the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves.
