The Public Opinion of Slavery
Hunter Friel
The Liberator
The Liberator was a newspaper published in 1831 by William Lloyd Garrison in Boston, Massachusetts. William was born in 1805 and began writing at the age of 13. He viewed the world around him as hateful and hypocritical and wanted to make a change. Through the emancipation of slavery, he felt that the nation could be made better. In this time, slavery was a central institution of society. It was not until January 1st in 1831 that William Lloyd Garrison released his first issue of The Liberator. The newspaper had the motto, “Our country is the world- our countrymen are mankind.” He is summarizing through this motto the idea of his newspaper as a whole. The men of this country fought to have equality and be free, however under them is another set of men that should be doing the same. William spoke out against the current views of slavery, and although there were some who changed their belief, many were enraged at this newspaper. The Liberator became one of the most influential newspapers in the era of the abolitionists.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published in 1852 was the most popular 19th century novel, after the bible. The novel, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, brought to life the journey of a slave through inhumane treatment by different masters. With controversies as soon as it appeared, Uncle Tom’s Cabin carried to the eyes of the public what the horrors of slavery really were, which the public did not realize until after the publication. This helped thousands of people to realize and be sympathetic towards the goals of the abolitionists. All controversies aside, Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped the nation see the brutality of slavery, and converted Americans to the abolitionist cause.
The 13th Amendment
The 13th amendment was passed in 1865. Before this time period, Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1860. He was personally opposed to slavery and knew that all of the states had to be together on a decision because, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Less than two years into the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves that were currently in rebellion. Ratified on December 18th, 1865, the 13th Amendment was put into place because President Lincoln realized that a constitutional amendment would have to follow the Emancipation Proclamation in order to abolish slavery. Equality as a whole will take much more than an amendment to achieve. People in this time period still found ways to be pro slavery. Slowly people were changing to see the hardships of what they had previously been blind to. Individuals recognized that slavery is unjust in a nation of equality and freedom.