The Rhetoric of the Reform
William
Lloyd Garrison represented the voice of Radical Abolitionists. Garrison advocated the immediate emancipation of all the
slaves. On January 1, 1831, Garrison published the first issue of his own
weekly anti-slavery newspaper, the Liberator. Through
the Liberator, Garrison stated his radical beliefs. He believed that blacks would be equal to whites in time
and were entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Garrison’s rheto
ric
called for immediate change. In Garrison’s To The
Public, he speaks out against the oppression of slavery. He states:
“Oppression!
I have seen thee, face to face, and met thy cruel eye and cloudy brow;
but thy soul-withering glance I fear not now—for dread to prouder feelings
doth give place of deep abhorrence!
Scorning the disgrace of slavish knees that at thy footstool bow I also
kneel—but with far other vow. Do hail thee and thy
herd of hirelings base:--I swear, while life-blood warms my throbbing veins,
still to oppose and thwart, with heart and hand, thy brutalizing sway—till
Africa’s chains are burst, and freedom rules the rescued land, trampling
oppression and his iron rod such is the vow I take—SO HELP ME GOD!”
David Walker's Appeal, arguably the most radical of all anti-slavery
documents, caused a great stir when it was
published in September of 1829 with its call for slaves to revolt against
their masters. David Walker, a free black originally from the South wrote,
". . .they want us for their slaves, and think nothing of murdering us. .
. therefore, if there is an attempt made by us, kill or be killed.
. . and believe this, that it is no more harm for you to kill a man who is
trying to kill you, than it is for you to take a drink of water when thirsty."