William Lloyd Garrison

My printer's apprenticeship at the Newburyport Herald is complete, and my own Free Press is launched. The press is a mighty engine for truth. 🖨️

Now co-editing the Genius of Universal Emancipation with Benjamin Lundy in Baltimore. I renounce gradualism: slavery is a sin, and emancipation must be immediate.

Writing from Baltimore jail, convicted of libel for exposing a Newburyport merchant who shipped enslaved people to New Orleans. Stone walls cannot silence the truth.

First issue of The Liberator is out! "I am in earnest — I will not equivocate — I will not excuse — I will not retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD." #Abolition

Just helped establish the New England Anti-Slavery Society here in Boston. The movement is growing, and we're not waiting around for gradual emancipation. Freedom cannot wait. ✊

Just helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia. Immediate emancipation — nothing less.

United in marriage today with Helen Eliza Benson in Brooklyn, Connecticut. In a world of storm and controversy, I have found my truest companion and haven. 💍

Dragged through the streets of Boston by a mob with a rope around me. Spent the night in jail for my own safety. Still not retreating. 🙃

Elijah Lovejoy has been murdered in Illinois for defending freedom of the press. A man killed for publishing his beliefs. This is what happens when violence is used to silence the truth. 📰

The American Anti-Slavery Society is dividing over women's rights and political action. I will not compromise our principles just to keep everyone comfortable. Equality is not negotiable.

At the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, the women delegates were refused seats. I will not take mine either. I'm sitting in the gallery with Lucretia Mott and the other excluded women. #NoCompromise

Heard a young man named Frederick Douglass speak in Nantucket tonight. The world needs to hear this voice.

Frederick Douglass has published his autobiography, and I couldn't be prouder. His story exposes the cruelty of slavery better than any argument I could make. Everyone needs to read this. 📖

Frederick Douglass has launched his own newspaper, The North Star. We may have different ideas about the direction of the movement, but another voice against slavery is always welcome. 📰

Congress has passed a new Fugitive Slave Act. Even those who escape slavery can now be hunted down in free states. They call this a compromise. I call it a national disgrace.

Sad to report that at the AAS meeting in Syracuse, Frederick Douglass announced he now believes the Constitution can be an anti-slavery document. I could not disagree more. "There is roguery somewhere."

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is making people across the country confront the horrors of slavery. Glad to see more Americans finally paying attention. 📚

Congress has passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, opening the door for slavery to spread into new territories. Apparently protecting slavery where it already exists wasn't enough for Washington.

Burned a copy of the Constitution in Framingham today. A "covenant with death and an agreement with hell." Let the people say amen.

The Supreme Court has ruled against Dred Scott. Apparently a man can live in a free state and still be denied his freedom. Another reminder that this government protects slavery before justice.

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry has shocked the nation. I oppose violence, but I cannot ignore the desperation created by slavery. The real question is why this injustice has been allowed to continue.

Abraham Lincoln has won the presidency. Some are calling this a victory for freedom, but Lincoln has not promised immediate abolition. I'll believe real change is coming when I see it.

War has begun at Fort Sumter. For years, this country tried to avoid confronting slavery. Now the consequences are impossible to ignore. May this conflict finally bring an end to human bondage.

President Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It is limited, but it is a step of vast importance. The day of jubilee draws near! 🔔

Today I stood at Fort Sumter as the American flag was raised again. To witness this moment in Charleston, where slavery once seemed untouchable, is something I will never forget. 🇺🇸

President Lincoln is dead. Just as the nation begins to emerge from war, we lose the man who helped bring slavery toward its end. A heartbreaking day for the country.

The 13th Amendment has been ratified. After decades of fighting, slavery is finally abolished throughout the United States. This is the day we worked for. The fight for equal rights must continue. 🕊️

The 13th Amendment is ratified. My work as editor is done. Final issue of The Liberator — 35 years, 1,820 issues. 🕊️