The American Anti-Slavery Society Declares Its Sentiments, From The Liberator

The American Anti-Slavery Society Declares Its Sentiments, From The Liberator

By William Lloyd Garrison

Pages 329-333

This piece was written to ask for the immediate freedom of all slaves, black or white, on the basis of principle. At first, the article would talk about the Declaration of Independence and then it would talk about specific points and arguments within and outside of the Declaration as more reasons why slaves deserve freedom. In a way, this paper is in itself another Declaration of Independence. 

“The corner-stone upon which they founded the Temple of Freedom was broadly this—‘That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, LIBERTY         , and the pursuit of happiness’” (Page 329). All Americans at least have some part of this excerpt of the Declaration learned by heart, either because we had to learn it in school, or simply because we’ve heard the phrases over and over again. Either way, Americans today don’t really analyze what any of this means. To us, it means that soldiers fight for us to be free, to live, and to try and be happy. However, Americans in this time period always analyzed the Declaration and realized that they have the right to live, the right of liberty to hold property, and to pursue happiness. Even the way it was written in the times disregarded slaves in that they could NOT hold property, and how ever could they attain happiness being a slave?

Garrison even compares the American Revolution to what would be their own revolution: “Their measures were physical resistance—the marshalling in arms—the hostile array—the mortal encounter. Ours shall be such only as the opposition of moral purity to moral corruption—the destruction of error by the potency of truth—the overthrow of prejudice by the power of love—and the abolition of slavery by the spirit of repentance” (Page 330). Garrison continues in a fashion that almost seems disapproving of the American Revolution because they didn’t have a worthy cause, in his opinion. “Their grievances, great as they were, were trifling in comparison with the wrongs and sufferings of those for whom we plead. Our fathers were never slaves—never bought and sold like cattle—never shut out from the light of knowledge and religion—never subjected to the lash of brutal taskmasters” (Page 330). Garrison then appeals to the reader’s sense of ethos and pathos by saying that slaves “are ruthlessly torn asunder—the tender babe from the arms of its frantic mother—the heart-broken wife from her weeping husband—at the caprice or pleasure of irresponsible tyrants. For the crime of having a dark complexion, they suffer the pangs of hunger, the infliction of stripes, the ignominy of brutal servitude. They are kept in heathenish darkness by laws expressly enacted to make their instruction a criminal offence” (Page 330).

At this point, it is clear that Garrison is outraged by slavery. He goes on to say: “We further maintain—that no man has a right to enslave or imbrute his brother—to hold or acknowledge him, for one moment, as a piece of merchandize—to keep back his hire by fraud—or to brutalize his mind, by denying him the means of intellectual, social and moral improvement. The right to enjoy liberty is inalienable. To invade it is to usurp the prerogative of Jehovah. Every man has a right to his own body—to the products of his own labor—to the protection of law—and to the common advantages of society. It is piracy to buy or steal a native African, and subject him to servitude. Surely, the sin is as great to enslave an American as an African” (Page 331). The piece then continues to immediately ask for the release of all slaves among other requests/demands.