International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

William Lloyd Garrison, controversial editor of The Liberator , was a central figure in the abolitionist crusade. Garrison's radical views on immediate emancipation, women's rights, and political non-resistance put him frequently at odds with more conservative abolitionists. His commitment to the abolitionist cause never wavered, and he is hailed as one of the most important voices of the anti-slavery movement . Garrison was born December 10, 1805, in Newburyport, MA. He was the third child of Abjah and Fanny Garrison. Abjah, a sailing master with a penchant for whiskey, abandoned the family when Garrison was 3 years old. Fanny worked as a nurse, employment she found demeaning, to support her small family. A devout Baptist who had been banished from her Anglican family because of her faith, Fanny was determined to prevent her two sons from sliding into the same state of sinful disrepute as their father. The rigors of maintaining a household required that Fanny separate the family. Garrison was left in the care of Ezekial and Elizabeth Bartlett, a devout couple who made sure he was well schooled in spiritual matters but neglected to provide him with an education. The family was reunited in Baltimore briefly, but Garrison was unhappy in Baltimore and with his unstable family life. At the age of 11, he left his family to head back to Newburyport. In Newburyport at the age of 13 in ... log in or subscribe to read full text