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Why does Garrison characterize the Constitution as an 鈥渋nfamous bargain鈥� and an 鈥渦nholy alliance鈥�? What is the relationship between the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, according to Garrison? How does Garrison view the potential splitting up of the Union between North and South over the slavery question?
How does Garrison鈥檚 understanding of the Constitution and Union compare to Daniel Webster鈥檚 (Webster-Hayne Debates (1830)) and Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 (Fragment on the Constitution and the Union (1861); First Inaugural Address (1861))? Does Frederick Douglass agree or disagree with Garrison鈥檚 understanding of the Constitution as a pro-slavery document, based on "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (1852)?
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Introduction
William Lloyd Garrison was a world-renowned abolitionist and founding editor of The Liberator, a popular anti-slavery Boston newspaper. Begun in 1831, The Liberator鈥檚 uncompromising stance in favor of immediate emancipation for all slaves quickly earned Garrison the reputation, especially in the South, as a dangerous fanatic and agitator. Using the newspaper as his personal soapbox, Garrison denounced not only slavery but everyone and everything that supported it, including the U.S. Constitution and the American Union. The Constitution, Garrison believed, was a pact with the devil that ought to be immediately discarded for its unjust and unnecessary compromises with slavery. The Union was similarly tainted by the presence of slavery in the South and was not worth saving, so long as slavery continued to exist. Garrison鈥檚 firebrand abolitionism propelled him to the forefront of the anti-slavery movement thirty years before the Civil War, a position he would continue to occupy until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
—Jason W. Stevens
Source: William Lloyd Garrison, 鈥淭he Great Crisis,鈥� The Liberator, 52, 2 (December 29, 1832), 206鈥�207.
. . . There is much declamation about the sacredness of the compact which was formed between the free and slave states, on the adoption of the Constitution. A sacred compact, forsooth! We pronounce it the most bloody and heaven-daring arrangement ever made by men for the continuance and protection of a system of the most atrocious villainy ever exhibited on earth. Yes鈥攚e recognize the compact, but with feelings of shame and indignation; and it will be held in everlasting infamy by the friends of justice and humanity throughout the world. It was a compact formed at the sacrifice of the bodies and souls of millions of our race, for the sake of achieving a political object鈥攁n unblushing and monstrous coalition to do evil that good might come. Such a compact was, in the nature of things and according to the law of God, null and void from the beginning. No body of men ever had the right to guarantee the holding of human beings in bondage. Who or what were the framers of our government, that they should dare confirm and authorize such high-handed villainy鈥攕uch a flagrant robbery of the inalienable rights of man鈥攕uch a glaring violation of all the precepts and injunctions of the gospel鈥攕uch a savage war upon a sixth part of our whole population? 鈥擳hey were men, like ourselves鈥攁s fallible, as sinful, as weak, as ourselves. By the infamous bargain which they made between themselves, they virtually dethroned the Most High God, and trampled beneath their feet their own solemn and heaven-attested Declaration, that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights鈥攁mong which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They had no lawful power to bind themselves, or their posterity, for one hour鈥攆or one moment鈥攂y such an unholy alliance. It was not valid then鈥攊t is not valid now. Still they persisted in maintaining it鈥攁nd still do their successors, the people of Massachusetts, of New England, and of the twelve free states, persist in maintaining it. A sacred compact! a sacred compact! What, then, is wicked and ignominious?
This, then, is the relation in which we of New England stand to the holders of slaves at the south, and this is virtually our language toward them鈥斺�淕o on, most worthy associates, from day to day, from month to month, from year to year, from generation to generation, plundering two millions of human beings of their liberty and the fruits of their toil鈥攄riving them into the fields like cattle鈥攕tarving and lacerating their bodies鈥攕elling the husband from his wife, the wife from her husband, and children from their parents鈥攕pilling their blood鈥攚ithholding the Bible from their hands and all knowledge from their minds鈥攁nd kidnapping annually sixty thousand infants, the offspring of pollution and shame! Go on, in these practices鈥攚e do not wish nor mean to interfere, for the rescue of your victims, even by expostulation or warning鈥攚e like your company too well to offend you by denouncing your conduct鈥攁lthough we know that by every principle of law which does not utterly disgrace us by assimilating us to pirates, that they have as good and as true a right to the equal protection of the law as we have; and although we ourselves stand prepared to die, rather than submit even to a fragment of the intolerable load of oppression to which we are subjecting them鈥攜et, never mind鈥攍et that be鈥攖hey have grown old in suffering and we in iniquity鈥攁nd we have nothing to do now but to speak peace, peace, to one another in our sins. We are too wicked ever to love them as God commands us to do鈥攚e are so resolute in our wickedness as not even to desire to do so鈥攁nd we are so proud in our iniquity that we will hate and revile whoever disturbs us in it. We want, like the devils of old, to be let alone in our sin. We are unalterably determined, and neither God nor man shall move us from this resolution, that our colored fellow subjects never shall be free or happy in their native land. Go on, from bad to worse iniquity鈥攁dd link to link to the chains upon the bodies of your victims鈥攁dd constantly to the intolerable burdens under which they groan鈥攁nd if, goaded to desperation by your cruelties; they should rise to assert their rights and redress their wrongs, fear nothing鈥攚e are pledged, by a sacred compact, to shoot them like dogs and rescue you from their vengeance! Go on鈥攚e never will forsake you, for 鈥渢here is honor among thieves鈥濃�� our swords are ready to leap from their scabbards, and our muskets to pour forth deadly volleys, as soon as you are in danger. We pledge you our physical strength, by the sacredness of the national compact鈥攁 compact by which we have enabled you already to plunder, persecute and destroy two millions of slaves, who now lie beneath the sod; and by which we now give you the same piratical license to prey upon a much larger number of victims and all their posterity. Go on鈥攁nd by this sacred instrument, the Constitution of the United States, dripping as it is with human blood, we solemnly pledge you our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, that we will stand by you to the last.鈥�
People of New England, and of the free states! Is it true that slavery is no concern of yours? Have you no right even to protest against it, or to seek its removal? Are you not the main pillars of its support? How long do you mean to be answerable to God and the world, for spilling the blood of the poor innocents? Be not afraid to look the monster slavery boldly in the face. He is your implacable foe鈥攖he vampire who is sucking your life-blood鈥攖he ravager of a large portion of your country, and the enemy of God and man. Never hope to be a united, or happy, or prosperous people while he exists. He has an appetite like the grave鈥攁 spirit as malignant as that of the bottomless pit鈥攁nd an influence as dreadful as the corruption of death. Awake to your danger! The struggle is a mighty one鈥攊t cannot be avoided鈥攊t should not be, if it could.
It is said that if you agitate this question, you will divide the Union. Believe it not; but should disunion follow, the fault will not be yours. You must perform your duty, faithfully, fearlessly and promptly, and leave the consequences to God: that duty clearly is, to cease from giving countenance and protection to southern kidnappers. Let them separate, if they can muster courage enough鈥攁nd the liberation of their slaves is certain. Be assured that slavery will very speedily destroy this Union, if it be let alone; but even if the Union can be preserved by treading upon the necks, spilling the blood, and destroying the souls of millions of your race, we say it is not worth a price like this, and that it is in the highest degree criminal for you to continue the present compact. Let the pillars thereof fall鈥攍et the superstructure crumble into dust鈥攊f it must be upheld by robbery and oppression.
Next Document
On the Constitution and the Union
December 29, 1832
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