Omar Bennett
On July 4, 1854, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the US Constitution at an Independence Day picnic hosted by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison, who had been fighting for the abolition of slavery for 25 years, believed that the Republic had been corrupted from the start and that the US Constitution was the result of a terrible bargain between freedom and slavery. 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.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the person | William Lloyd Garrison |
| Year | 1854 |
| Date | July 4 |
| Place | Harmony Grove, Massachusetts |
| Event | Burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution |
| Attendees | Hundreds of men and women |
| Speech | "A covenant with death, and an agreement with Hell" |
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What You'll Learn
William Lloyd Garrison's beliefs about the Republic
William Lloyd Garrison was an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He was the founder and editor of the widely-read anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, which he published in Boston from 1831 until the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865.
Garrison's beliefs about the Republic were informed by his Christian faith and his commitment to pacifism and anarchism. He promoted "no-governmentism", rejecting the inherent validity of the American government on the basis that its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery made it corrupt and tyrannical. Garrison's belief in individual sovereignty and his critique of coercive authority have been recognised as precursors to certain strands of modern libertarian thought.
Garrison's views on the Republic and slavery became increasingly radical over time. Initially, he promoted the gradual emancipation of every slave in the Republic and their transportation to Africa. However, he later became devoted to the immediate abolition of slavery, denouncing the Union and the US Constitution as a "covenant with death and an agreement with hell". He believed that the nation was founded on an unsustainable contradiction: the natural law of human liberty, as laid out in the Declaration of Independence, and the "peculiar institution" of the South, which was an evil expressly protected under the Constitution.
Garrison's belief in the immorality of slavery led him to reject any Union with slaveholders, and he advocated for the peaceful secession of the North from the slaveholding South. He supported the rights of women and, in his later years, became a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement.
On July 4, 1854, Garrison publicly burned a copy of the US Constitution at an Independence Day picnic hosted by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. This dramatic act was the culmination of an argument he had been making for a quarter of a century: that the nation's founding document was complicit in the sin of slavery.
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The Liberator and other abolitionist literature
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, the abolitionist, publicly burned a copy of the US Constitution at an anti-slavery rally in Massachusetts. Garrison believed the Republic had been corrupted from the start and that the US Constitution was the source of all other atrocities, calling it a "covenant with death" and "an agreement with hell".
Garrison's newspaper, The Liberator, was a major force in the abolition movement. The motto of the publication was "NO UNION WITH SLAVEHOLDERS", a deliberately antagonistic slogan designed to provoke a reaction. Garrison's years of campaigning had taught him that slavery was too entrenched, and that the only way to wipe the stain of complicity from the northern conscience was to dissolve the Union and leave the southern states to their fate.
The Liberator was not the only abolitionist literature of its time. Other works included The Agitator, Walden, and Slavery in Massachusetts, a published version of a speech given by Thoreau at the same rally where Garrison burned the Constitution. Thoreau's address expressed his disgust for those in Massachusetts who willingly aided slavery.
Garrison's views were often controversial, even within the abolitionist movement, and he is often remembered as being antagonistic to the point of hurting his own cause. However, he was an important voice in a movement that de-normalised slavery and influenced many of the younger leaders of the time.
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The Fugitive Slave Law and other documents burned by Garrison
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist, set fire to copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and the United States Constitution during a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. This event, which took place at Harmony Grove, just outside Boston, was a dramatic expression of Garrison's long-held belief that the nation was founded on an unsustainable contradiction: the natural law of human liberty as laid out in the Declaration of Independence, and the evil of slavery, which was expressly protected under the Constitution.
The Fugitive Slave Law, also known as the Fugitive Slave Act, was passed by the 31st United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850. This law required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to their slave owners, and that officials and citizens of free states cooperate in this process. The law was highly controversial and contributed to the growing polarization of the country over slavery, eventually leading to the founding of the Republican Party and the start of the American Civil War.
During the rally, Garrison first burned a copy of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, declaring it a "hated document." He then produced and burned copies of Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to return Anthony Burns, a young man who had self-liberated from slavery in Virginia, back to slavery, and Judge Benjamin R. Curtis's comments considering charges of constructive treason against those who had tried to free Burns.
Garrison's actions were inspired by Martin Luther, who had burned copies of canon law and the papal bull that excommunicated him from the Catholic Church for heresy. Garrison held that the U.S. Constitution was "the source and parent of all the other atrocities," branding it "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell." As the Constitution burned, he cried out, "So perish all compromises with tyranny!"
Garrison's public burning of these documents was a powerful statement against slavery and the compromises made in the name of tyranny. His actions and words continue to resonate as a reminder of the nation's greatest sin and the ongoing struggle for freedom and justice.
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The context of the Civil War and the Constitution
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist, set fire to a copy of the US Constitution during a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison's actions were a dramatic expression of his belief that the nation was founded on an unsustainable contradiction: the natural law of human liberty as laid out in the Declaration of Independence, and the institution of slavery, which was expressly protected under the Constitution.
Garrison's act of burning the Constitution highlighted the complex and contentious role of the Constitution in the context of the Civil War. Both Northerners and Southerners could cite the Constitution to support their respective positions on slavery. For example, the "`fugitive slave' clause could be interpreted as either a pro-slavery or anti-slavery provision, depending on one's perspective. The Constitution's compromises, intended to balance competing interests and ensure unity, ultimately contributed to the tensions and divisions that led to the Civil War.
Abolitionists like Garrison argued that the Constitution fell short of the ideals of freedom and democracy enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. They believed that the Constitution's compromises, such as the three-fifths compromise and the fugitive slave clause, were unjust and complicit in perpetuating slavery. Garrison went so far as to call for the repeal of the Union, arguing that the North had a moral duty to secede if immediate and absolute emancipation of slaves was not achieved.
On the other hand, slaveholders defended their position by invoking property rights and states' rights, as protected under the Constitution. They saw the Constitution as a safeguard against what they perceived as federal overreach and a threat to their way of life. The Constitution, with its checks and balances, legislative parity in the Senate, and compromises like the Missouri Compromise, provided a legal framework that supported the continuation of slavery and southern states' rights.
The Civil War brought to the fore the contradictions and ambiguities within the Constitution. As Lincoln reflected, both sides claimed to uphold the same Constitution yet found themselves in a bloody conflict. The war ultimately led to a transformation of the Constitution, not through its internal amendment processes but through the violent clash of opposing interpretations and the subsequent Reconstruction Amendments that abolished slavery and reshaped the nation.
In conclusion, the context of the Civil War and the Constitution was marked by competing interpretations, compromises, and contradictions. Garrison's dramatic act of burning the Constitution symbolized the abolitionist sentiment that the nation's founding document was complicit in the sin of slavery. The Civil War and its aftermath brought about a significant shift in the interpretation and application of constitutional rights, leading to the end of slavery and a redefined relationship between the states.
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The legacy of William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) was an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely-read anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, which he founded in 1831 and published in Boston until slavery in the United States was abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
Garrison was a prominent voice in the abolitionist movement, and his newspaper was a major force in the campaign. He also supported the rights of women and, in the 1870s, became a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement. He promoted "no-governmentism", also known as "anarchism", and rejected the inherent validity of the American government on the basis that its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery made it corrupt and tyrannical.
Garrison's legacy is that of a passionate and influential abolitionist and social reformer. He is remembered for his uncompromising stance against slavery and his advocacy for equality and justice. His belief in individual sovereignty and critique of coercive authority have been recognized as a precursor to certain strands of modern libertarian thought.
On July 4, 1854, Garrison publicly burned a copy of the US Constitution at an Independence Day picnic hosted by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He believed the Republic was corrupt and branded the Constitution as "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell", and "the source and parent of all the other atrocities". This dramatic act of defiance against what was considered an all-but-sacred law of the land was the climax of an argument he had been making for a quarter of a century.
Garrison's legacy is honoured by his descendants and others. In 2005, his descendants gathered in Boston for a family reunion to discuss his legacy and influence. A 2-mile trail along the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge and Interstate 95 between Newburyport and Amesbury, Massachusetts, was named in his honour, opening in 2018.
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Frequently asked questions
No, William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the Constitution.
William Lloyd Garrison believed the Republic had been corrupted from the start and was a supporter of the abolition of slavery. He called the Constitution a "covenant with death" and "an agreement with Hell".
William Lloyd Garrison burned the Constitution on July 4, 1854, in Massachusetts.
William Lloyd Garrison also burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law, Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to send Anthony Burns back to slavery, and Judge Benjamin R. Curtis's comments to the U.S. grand jury.
