Rights of Leadership: The Propaganda of Race and Class During the Abolitionist Movement

In the essay “Slavery, Race and Ideology in the United States of America” Barbara Fields states:

Some people spoke out about the flaws with in the Constitution. Also, with these flaws they spoke about their differing views on certain subjects. One of these people was William Garrison. He was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He also was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison believed that since slaves and slavery aren’t found in the Constitution it never gave protection or countenance to the slave system (Document E).

In 1830s some faithful activists like W. Garrison, Tappan brothers, T. Weld and others have made several publications advocating antislavery movement and claiming that slavery is a major sin. They give birth to the movement of abolitionism and win over many white Americans to their camp.

In the mid-1800s the issue of slavery had emerged in the U.S. as a major conflict. In the northern states a small but very articulate group of abolitionists formed to speak out against the abomination of slavery. Several of the most influential and outspoken abolitionists were actually former slaves. Three such speakers during that time were Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacobs. All born into slavery, and having witnessed its horrors first-hand, these three black reformers publicly took a stand against the atrocity of enslaving fellow human beings. They argued for their rights as men and women. However, they each went about their arguments using different modes of persuasion. While the main message of each abolitionist

William Lloyd Garrison was also a famous abolitionist. He lived in Newburyport, Massachusetts, from 1805 to 1879. In 1830, William Lloyd Garrison became involved with “immediate emancipation.” In 1831, he started publishing his newspaper called The Liberator in Boston. This paper was supported by many free slaves. In 1833, Garrison and many other people from all races met in Philadelphia to establish the American Anti-Slavery Society, which said that slavery is a sin and it should be abolished immediately. Even though many abolitionists were pro-Union, Garrison felt like the Union should be “dissolved” since they supported the Constitution, which he felt was a pro-slavery document. Garrison wasn’t a fan of war, because he thought that slavery should be abolished peacefully, but he supported the Civil War.

Early on in Douglass’ career as an abolitionist, he affiliated his beliefs to fellow abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, claiming that the

“He believed in freedom of mankind and he preached it, openly, bravely, at a time when such preaching meant not merely social ostracism and political opposition, but personal danger,” was how Theodore Weld was described shortly after his death in 1859. Not only is this description true, but it highlights Theodore Weld’s passion to end slavery as a bold abolitionist. His approach to ending slavery was different from other abolitionists; Weld desired to spread education rather than accusation. This resulted in people attaining a better understanding of slavery and knowing the why of how slavery is wrong and oppressive. Weld was also very capable of lecturing and is popularly known as “one of the most fearless and powerful lecturers” , while that is true, Weld accomplished many other things that were more effective than his lecturing. Such as publishing works on slavery that inspired others to participate in the abolitionist movement and he also participated in the infamous American Anti-Slavery Society(AASS), which Weld greatly improved by implementing an agency called the Seventy within the AASS. Although Theodore Weld’s lectures were very persuasive, his published works and educational approach to spreading abolitionism is more significant due to the effectiveness in advocating and influencing his belief to a wider audience, such as Harriet Stowe and creating a lasting impact by educating the young to continue the anti-slavery movement.

Douglass worked by being a famous orator preached against slavery and eventually joined the Republican Party where he worked with Lincoln and the party to promote and work toward the end of slavery. By 1858 Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were saying the same thing, preaching the same antislavery politics. Liberty or Slavery must become law of the land” (Oakes 5) Beyond Garrisonian newspapers, he began to embrace abolitionist politics and the idea that the Constitution supported slave emancipation. “Lincoln saw the Constitution as neither a clarion

Before delving into the observations of Henry Highland Garnet’s and Frederick Douglass’s view on slavery, it is first important to discuss how slaves were generally viewed. During the 19th century, slaves had one goal and one goal only: to flee north. The voyage to freedom was anything but easy. Because of the perceived disloyalty a runaway slave display towards his/her owner, slave owners often issues bounties for the retrieval of their slaves. If the slave were returned, they would surely be hanged, tortured, or starved to death to illustrate to other slaves the consequences of a disloyal servant. Supporters of slavery believed that if slavery was abolished, then the economy in the south would plummet faster than a shooting star. Because of the unprecedented revenue the South received from cotton sales, the majority of their reliance was on slave labor. However, abolitionists such as Garnet and Douglass not only believe that a black man had equal worth to a white man, but they also firmly demanded that a change be brought about. Over time, abolitionist became more persistent in their demands, fueling many intellectual discussions. Amongst these intellectual discussions was Garnet’s unsuccessful but brilliant speech addressing slaves and Douglas’s historic speech on the meaning of the fourth of July to a slave.

On January 1, 1831, the first issue of the Liberator containing an editorial from Garrison was published. The editorial was addressed to the public and ‘demanded the immediate, unconditional abolition of slavery’ and vowed to use extreme measures to effect a “revolution in public sentiment” (Masur 22-23). Garrison gave warning that he would not compromise or sugar coat his words: “I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD” (Masur 23). Garrison used the Liberator to voice his ever-increasing radical abolitionist ideas, urging free blacks to accept temperance, religion, and education as a means to further themselves.

Black and white abolitionists shared common assumptions about the evil of slavery, the "virtue of moral reform", and the certainty of human progress"(1). Schor, Garnet,1877, & Lanngston, 1989). This shared understanding provided "the basic for the interracial solidarity" and cooperation so vital in the crusade against slavery"(2). (Schor and Garnet, 1877). But blacks also brought a distinct perspective to the antislavery movement. Their abolitionism was shaped profoundly by their personal experience and racial oppression. Unlike most white abolitionists, they

The border dispute where Texas (slave state) claimed the eastern half of the New Mexico Territory to them. In Texas, slavery had not been resolved at the time and new warnings of formal withdrawals of a state from the union arisen.

“They [the blacks] had no rights which the man was bound to respect.” Roger B. Taney had stated. Roger B. Taney was a man whose opinions mattered. They were very well known to most people. Roger grew up in Maryland. He lived from March 17, 1777 to October 12, 1864. He was married to Anne Key and had 1 well known kid, her names was Alice. Alice wasn't well known for anything special but that she died in 1855 from yellow fever. Unlike his daughter he impacted the world greatly. He was know for things that in the U.S. now we disapprove of.

After the end of slavery, blacks were free and had the right to vote, but they were oppressed by white supremacist and state laws that restricted their voting rights. Many great minds rose from the shadows and spoke against these injustice, but the one that stands out the most is Marcus Garvey. Garvey created a huge impact in the African-American history, but his stubbornness and ignorance lead to his self-destruction. As a young boy, in Jamaica, Garvey was inspired by the works of Booker T Washington especially by the book “Up from Slavery”. From a young age, Garvey believed that is was his destiny to speak in front of millions this was one of the many reasons why he became an activist. Throughout his lifetime he made enemies with other African- American activist, like W. E. B Du Bois, who criticized Garvey and his ideology. The first American branch of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was established by Garvey in September 1917; the main causes of this association was to improve the lives of African Americans around the world and to take back Africa from the grasps of the white men and claim it for the Africans that were scattered around the world. Marcus was put on trial on May 18 1923 this marked the beginning of the downfall of Garvey’s empire. In general, Marcus Garvey was an activist who wanted the best for his people but his downfall was cause by his own stubbornness and because he surrounded himself by incompetent people and his enemies.

In many ways it could be argued that Marcus Garvey was the most significant African American civil rights leader of this time because of his role in tackling the social issues African American’s faced. He aimed to improve the lives of African Americans by encouraging them to take control of their own affairs and education. His role surrounding this issue is illustrated by his founding of the UNIA. This Universal Negro Improvement Association was an organisation dedicated to racial pride, economic self sufficiency and the formation of an independent black nation in Africa. Through this and the magazine the ‘Negro World’ he urged African Americans to be proud of their race, and argued “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”. It has been said that through Garvey’s dedication to social improvement for his race he managed to capture the imagination of many blacks for whom the American Dream was a dirty joke.