Simone Lawson
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer, burned a copy of the US Constitution, denouncing it as a covenant with death and an agreement with hell. Garrison's dramatic act was the climax of a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, where he also burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and other documents related to slavery. Garrison believed that the US Constitution was a pro-slavery document and 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. He promoted no-governmentism or anarchism and refused to participate in American electoral politics, arguing that the government was corrupt and tyrannical due to its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | July 4, 1854 |
| Location | Massachusetts |
| Reason | Garrison believed the Republic was corrupt and that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document |
| Other documents burned | Copies of the Fugitive Slave Law, Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to send Anthony Burns back into slavery, and Judge Benjamin R. Curtis's comments to a U.S. grand jury |
| Newspaper | The Liberator |
| Motto | "No Union with Slaveholders" |
| Political stance | Anarchism, Christian pacifism |
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What You'll Learn
William Lloyd Garrison believed the Republic was corrupt
William Lloyd Garrison 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 believed that the Republic was corrupt. 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 belief in individual sovereignty and his critique of coercive authority have been recognized as a precursor to certain strands of modern libertarian thought.
Garrison's opposition to the government stemmed from his belief that the US Constitution was a pro-slavery document. He argued that the Constitution was the result of a terrible bargain between freedom and slavery. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so meant supporting "the pro-slavery, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States". Instead, he and his followers argued for a dissolution of the Union under the slogan "No Union with Slaveholders".
Garrison's beliefs were so strong that on July 4, 1854, he burned a copy of the US Constitution during a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. He branded the document as "the source and parent of all the other atrocities—'a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell.' So perish all compromises with tyranny!'.
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He branded the US Constitution as a covenant with death
On July 4, 1854, William Lloyd Garrison, an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer, publicly burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution. This act was the climax of a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, held at Harmony Grove, just outside Boston. In front of hundreds of abolitionists, Garrison denounced the Constitution as "a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell," and set it alight, exclaiming, "So perish all compromises with tyranny!"
Garrison's dramatic gesture was not an impulsive act but rather the culmination of years of agitation against slavery and what he perceived as a corrupt Republic. 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. Garrison's newspaper, The Liberator, was a major force in the abolition movement, and he had been making this argument for a quarter of a century.
Garrison's opposition to the Constitution was rooted in his belief that it was a pro-slavery document. He refused to participate in American electoral politics because doing so would mean supporting what he saw as "the pro-slavery, war-sanctioning Constitution of the United States." Instead, he and his followers, known as Garrisonians, argued for a dissolution of the Union under the slogan, "No Union with Slaveholders."
The word "slavery" appears only once in the Constitution—in the Thirteenth Amendment, where it is abolished. However, throughout the main body of the document, slaves are referred to in indirect terms, such as "other persons" or "persons held to Service or Labour." One of the compromises made by the Constitutional Convention was to close the African slave trade in 1808, which resulted in an increase in the value of slaves in the domestic market. Garrison saw this as a terrible bargain between freedom and slavery, and his actions on that July day in 1854 were a powerful statement against what he believed to be the nation's greatest sin.
Garrison's act of burning the Constitution was not without controversy. While most of the audience roared its approval, some hissed and groused. His extreme stance on slavery and his belief in individual sovereignty, along with his critique of coercive authority, have been recognized as precursors to certain strands of modern libertarian thought.
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He believed the Constitution was pro-slavery
William Lloyd Garrison, an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer, believed that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document. On July 4, 1854, at a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, Garrison burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and the United States Constitution. He branded the Constitution as "the source and parent of all the other atrocities--'a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell,'".
Garrison's belief that the Constitution was pro-slavery stemmed from his understanding that it was a compromise between freedom and slavery. He recognized that the Constitution was the result of a bargain struck by the Constitutional Convention to close the African slave trade in 1808, which led to an increase in the value of slaves in the domestic market. While the word "slavery" only appears in the Constitution in the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolishes the institution, slaves are referred to throughout the document using terms like "other persons" or "persons held to Service or Labour."
Garrison's opposition to the Constitution was so strong that he refused to participate in American electoral politics. He argued that the Constitution was created by slaveholders and that participating in a government founded on this document meant supporting slavery and war. He promoted the slogan "No Union with Slaveholders," advocating for the dissolution of the Union to wipe the stain of complicity from the northern states.
Garrison's views on slavery and the Constitution were not without controversy. Even within the abolitionist movement, there were those who disagreed with his interpretation of the Constitution and his insistence on non-participation in politics. Despite this, his newspaper, The Liberator, was a major force in the abolition movement, and his actions and words continue to resonate in modern libertarian thought.
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He refused to participate in American electoral politics
William Lloyd Garrison 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 believed that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document and, therefore, refused to participate in American electoral politics. 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. He believed that the nation was founded on an unsustainable contradiction: on one hand, the natural law of human liberty, as laid out in the Declaration of Independence; and on the other, the "peculiar institution" of the South, an evil expressly protected under the Constitution.
Garrison's refusal to participate in American electoral politics stemmed from his belief that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document and that participating in a government created by such a Constitution would lead to corruption. He argued for a dissolution of the Union, stating that only the immediate and absolute emancipation of the slave population could save the republic. He believed that abolition could not be achieved without secession and disunion.
Garrison's motto, "No Union with Slaveholders", was designed to be antagonistic and provoke a reaction. He recognised that slavery was thoroughly entrenched and that the Union had to be dissolved for the stain of complicity to be wiped from the northern conscience. He wanted the southern states to be left to their fate without the military support of those in the North.
On July 4, 1854, in Massachusetts, Garrison burned a copy of the U.S. Constitution, declaring it to be "a covenant with death, and an agreement with Hell". He held the parchment above his head and repeated forcefully a psalmic rouse to the hundreds of men and women gathered around him: "And let all the people say, Amen". The crowd erupted in response, shouting "Amen!" This dramatic act symbolised an argument that Garrison had been making for a quarter of a century.
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He supported the rights of women
William Lloyd Garrison 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 also a prominent voice for women's rights and suffrage. Starting in the 1830s, he argued that women should be allowed to hold leadership positions in abolitionist organizations. He supported the rights of women to their utmost extent, announcing in December 1837 that The Liberator would promote women's rights. He also fought to ensure women could join the Anti-Slavery Society, although women were never allowed to; they were, however, permitted to join the Liberty Party.
Garrison's commitment to women's rights caused a split in the abolitionist movement. In 1840, some abolitionists left the American Anti-Slavery Society and formed the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, which did not admit women. That same year, when the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London refused to seat American women delegates, Garrison refused to take his seat as a delegate and joined the women in the spectators' gallery.
Garrison's desire to link abolitionism with other reform movements, such as women's rights, cost him the support of more conservative abolitionists. Despite this, he continued to advocate for women's rights throughout his career. In the 1870s, he became a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement, promoting "no-governmentism" and rejecting the inherent validity of the American government due to its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery.
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Frequently asked questions
William Lloyd Garrison was an American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He founded the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, in 1831.
William Lloyd Garrison burned the US Constitution because he believed it was a "'covenant with death and an agreement with hell'. He thought the US Constitution was a pro-slavery document that was the result of a terrible bargain between freedom and slavery.
On July 4, 1854, at a rally sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, William Lloyd Garrison burned copies of the Fugitive Slave Law and Judge Edward G. Loring's decision to send Anthony Burns back into slavery.
William Lloyd Garrison believed in individual sovereignty and rejected the inherent validity of the American government. He promoted "no-governmentism", also known as "anarchism", and refused to participate in American electoral politics.
Most of the audience at the rally roared its approval but some hissed and groused.
