Jonah Patel
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 dramatic act was a protest against slavery and the compromise made by the Constitutional Convention to close the African slave trade in 1808, which he believed had corrupted the Republic from the start. He referred to the Constitution as a covenant with death and an agreement with hell, reflecting his view that it was a bargain between freedom and slavery. This event highlighted Garrison's unwavering commitment to the abolition movement and his belief in the necessity of drastic measures to end slavery in the nation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 July 1854 |
| Location | Massachusetts |
| Event | Burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and the U.S. Constitution |
| Speech | "The Constitution of the United States of America is the source and parent of all the other atrocities: 'a covenant with death, and an agreement with Hell.' So perish all compromises with tyranny!" |
| Newspaper | The Liberator |
| Audience Reaction | "Amen!" |
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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 slavery was abolished in 1865.
Garrison's beliefs about the Republic were shaped by his Christian faith and his commitment to pacifism and anarchism. He promoted "no-governmentism", rejecting the inherent validity of the American government because of its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery, which he believed made it corrupt and tyrannical. Garrison once wrote, "It matters not what is the theory of the government, if the practice of the government be unjust and tyrannical."
Garrison's abolitionist beliefs were influenced by his conversations with pioneer abolitionist Benjamin Lundy, with whom he co-edited the Genius of Universal Emancipation in Baltimore. While Lundy took a more radical approach, demanding the immediate abolition of slavery, Garrison initially promoted the gradual emancipation of every slave in the republic and their transportation, along with free people of colour, to Africa. However, his views became more radical over time, and he eventually supported the immediate abolition of slavery.
Garrison believed that the Republic had been corrupted from the start and that the only way to achieve abolition was through secession and disunion. He rejected a union with slaveholders because of the immorality of slavery and denounced the U.S. Constitution as "a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell." On July 4, 1854, in Massachusetts, he burned a copy of the Constitution, declaring, "So perish all compromises with tyranny!"
Garrison's motto, "No Union With Slaveholders," was designed to be antagonistic and provoke a reaction. He believed that the North had a moral duty to secede from the slaveholding South and that only the immediate and absolute emancipation of the slave population could save the republic. During the Civil War, he placed freedom for enslaved people above his pacifist beliefs and supported Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. After the abolition of slavery, Garrison retired from public affairs, regularly supporting the Republican Party and continuing to champion causes such as temperance, women's rights, pacifism, and free trade.
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The Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's Independence Day picnic
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the US Constitution at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's Independence Day picnic. The event, a sombre affair, was held at Harmony Grove, just outside Boston. The burning of the Constitution was the dramatic climax of the rally, which was addressed by noted abolitionists including Sojourner Truth and Henry David Thoreau.
Garrison, who had been fighting for the abolition of slavery for 25 years, believed that the Republic had been corrupted from the start. He held the Constitution as "the source and parent of all the other atrocities", 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, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States".
Before burning the Constitution, Garrison produced a copy of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and set it alight, crying Amen as it burned to a cinder. He then produced copies of Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to send Anthony Burns back to slavery and Judge Benjamin R. Curtis's comments to a US grand jury considering charges of constructive treason against those who had participated in the failed attempt to free Burns. As Martin Luther had burned copies of canon law and the papal bull excommunicating him from the Catholic Church for heresy, so Garrison consigned each of these documents to the flames.
Finally, holding a copy of the US Constitution above his head, he cried out: "So perish all compromises with tyranny!" The crowd roared its approval, but some hissed and groused. The hundreds of abolitionists assembled at Harmony Grove would remember July 4, 1854, as a day to recognise the nation's greatest sin and to mourn the death of freedom.
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Garrison's refusal to participate in American electoral politics
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist, publicly burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution during a rally organised by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. This act of defiance, accompanied by his words, "So perish all compromises with tyranny!", underscored his refusal to participate in American electoral politics. Garrison believed that the Constitution was a "covenant with death" and "an agreement with Hell", as it allowed for the continuation of slavery.
Garrison's refusal to engage in electoral politics stemmed from his conviction that the Constitution was inherently pro-slavery and that any participation in a government operating under this Constitution would be complicit in supporting slavery. He advocated for the dissolution of the Union, famously declaring, "NO UNION WITH SLAVEHOLDERS". In his view, the only way to achieve true abolition was through secession and the formation of a new government untainted by the compromises of the current one.
Garrison's stance was influenced by his belief that the Republic had been corrupted from its inception. He argued that the contradiction between the ideals of human liberty espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the protection of slavery under the Constitution rendered the nation unsustainable. By burning the Constitution and refusing to participate in the political system it upheld, Garrison sought to highlight the moral imperative of prioritising universal freedom over the interests of slaveholders.
Garrison's refusal to compromise or moderate his stance was a defining characteristic of his activism. In his words, "I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice [...] I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—AND I WILL BE HEARD." This unwavering commitment to his principles, expressed through his newspaper, 'The Liberator', and his public actions, such as the burning of the Constitution, made Garrison a controversial yet influential figure in the abolitionist movement.
Despite his initial distrust of Abraham Lincoln, whom he viewed as indecisive, Garrison ultimately supported the Civil War as a necessary means to end the "ravages of death" and extinguish the "flames of hell" represented by slavery. While his methods may have been divisive, Garrison's unwavering dedication to the cause of abolition left an indelible mark on the course of American history.
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The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison's newspaper
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer, burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution, denouncing it as "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell." This dramatic act was the culmination of his decades-long fight for the abolition of slavery and his belief that the nation was founded on a contradiction between the natural law of human liberty and the evil of slavery, which was expressly protected under the Constitution.
The Liberator was William Lloyd Garrison's widely read anti-slavery newspaper, which he founded and published in Boston from 1831 to 1865. The newspaper was a major force in the abolition movement, advocating for the immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves in the United States. With a circulation of about 3,000, The Liberator had a modest reach, but it earned nationwide notoriety and attracted prominent and influential readers, including Frederick Douglass and Beriah Green.
Garrison, a former typesetter, composed his editorials for the paper without first writing them on paper, setting the type for publication as he wrote. The Liberator appealed to the moral conscience of its readers, urging them to demand the immediate freeing of slaves. It also promoted women's rights, an issue that divided the abolitionist movement. The newspaper frequently printed or reprinted letters, reports, sermons, and news stories related to American slavery, serving as a community bulletin board for the new abolitionist movement that Garrison helped foster.
In addition to his work with The Liberator, Garrison collaborated with other abolitionist activists and publications. He was associated with the American Colonization Society for a brief period before rejecting colonization and publicly apologizing for his initial support. He then worked with Benjamin Lundy as a co-editor of the Quaker newspaper Genius of Universal Emancipation. Garrison's influence extended beyond the written word, as he participated in rallies and delivered speeches advocating for the abolition of slavery.
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Garrison's beliefs about the Constitution
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent abolitionist who, after fighting for the abolition of slavery for 25 years, believed that the Republic had been corrupted from the start. On July 4, 1854, in Massachusetts, he burned a copy of the US Constitution, declaring it to be "the source and parent of all the other atrocities" and "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell".
Garrison saw the Constitution as a compromise between freedom and slavery. 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 slavery, which was expressly protected under the Constitution. In his view, the Constitution was a despotic document that pandered to the interests of slaveholders rather than upholding the principle of universal freedom.
Garrison's language and actions were often seen as severe and antagonistic, even by those who shared his abolitionist beliefs. He was known for his uncompromising stance and refusal to moderate his views or his language. In his own words, "I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, speak, or write with moderation".
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Frequently asked questions
William Lloyd Garrison burned the US Constitution on July 4, 1854.
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist and believed the Republic had been corrupted from the start. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so meant supporting "the pro-slavery, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States".
William Lloyd Garrison called the Constitution a "'covenant with death'" and "'an agreement with Hell'". He also said, "So perish all compromises with tyranny!".
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 US grand jury considering charges of constructive treason against those who had participated in the failed attempt to free Burns.
