Friday, September 20, 2013

Garrison -- Pioneer or Safer Option?

This piece says quite a bit about Garrison's background as an original gradualist and colonizer, and his shift towards preaching for immediate abolition.  Why do you think Garrison was the "founder" of the American abolition movement if there were others before him (especially Quakers) who did not receive much of a spotlight?  What was it about Garrison's personality, background, and evening timing that put him into the limelight for the abolition movement?

9 comments:

  1. After reading,"Woe If It Comes with Storm and Blood and Fire, " I believe Garrison was the founder of the abolition movement because he was the only one willing to give up everything, even die, to abolish slavery. He felt so strongly about abolishing slavery that he would put his own life on the line for mere "property." Garrison also realized what others did not, that it was useless, even pointless to try and "convert the slaveholders." This form of thinking was revolutionary. Garrison, unlike many before him, was ashamed of his own race for all that they had done to the African American population. While in prison, Garrison, made a plan. He wrote three speeches and planned on making his way North to speak out against slavery. During this time, the country was very fragile. Something Garrison did not quite comprehend was that it all came down to fear; fear that the Irish immigrants would take over the yankee workman's job and that slaves would end up taking over the white mans job as well. Underneath all that hate, were people afraid of progression into a new century of change.

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  2. Although it is a very long and difficult reading, I think I caught some points.
    Garrison was really a special man. The reason why he was the "founder" of the American abolition movement who did not receive much of a spotlight? even there were others before him (especially Quakers) was because he realized how important the abolition movement was and he knew that his life would contribute to the abolition movement. His attitude was very strong and steady, even when he was captured into the prison, he was still holding the "hope" of ending slavery. He had extraordinary eloquence and his speeches made a direct effect on anti-slavery power. He was also the person who knew how slaves suffered and decided to change the situation. Although he had made some mistakes and being prejudice (I mean that he forget some contradictions between slavery and the whole society), his cogitation and his spirit made him the "founder" of abolition movement who can stand under the spotlight.

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  3. I think that Garrison was the founder of the abolitionist because he purposed his life on abolishing slavery. The reason why his ways were so different then others was because he knew that there was no was to change the minds of the slave masters so the only thing was to free them all. Even when he was faced with adversary, such as being thrown in jail, he kept making plans to speak to Northerners and even wrote a number of speeches while in prison. These bold qualities of persistence and dedication lead him to be the founder of the movement.

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  4. After I read,"Woe If It Comes with Storm and Blood and Fire," I came to the conclusion that Garrison was the founder of the American Abolition Movement. Although he was the founder of this incredible movement he got no credits or fame for founding it. Garrison was a very loyal and brave man who never gave up and dedicated everything he had to getting rid of slavery. Garrison knew how slaves suffered and he wanted to change the way in which they lived. During Garrison's time in prison/gail he made a very smart plan. His plan was to write three speeches down and present them when he heads North to help spread his feelings about slavery. Overall Garrison was a man who was strong and wanted to free slaves from being treated with abuse.

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  5. It often doesn't matter if you're the first or not, its a matter of how many followers you have. He garnered such support that I think he deserves the title of founder of the abolition movement. He wasn't a "radical", claiming they should immediately be given full priveledges; he said he wanted them to be protected with benevolent supervision until they learned religion (that certainly helped get support) and became economically secure. It was then that they could be assimilated into American society. He was sharp, well-spoken, religious, and was cunningly barbed in his rhetoric. All these factors helped boost Garrison into the spotlight and help pave the way for the abolitionist movement.

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  6. After reading "Woe If it Comes with Storm and Blood and Fire," Garrison is believed to be the founder of abolition movement because he was truly the only man to completely devote his life to the cause. He had very strong beliefs and even prepared many speeches or "lecture tours" about the movement. His beliefs were also different because he did not want to give all the rights that everyone else had right away, so there could be a transition. Garrison was aware of the struggle of slaves and wanted to make a difference, he ultimately ended up succeeding in the long wrong run because he became the "founder" and leader of the abolitionist movement.

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  7. I think Garrison was one of the true founders of the abolition movement. This is because he devoted his life to the cause and would die supporting it. This shows that this is exactly what it might take to get the cause become a reality. He knew slave masters would not be changed in opinion because of their need of slaves, and clearly their belief in it. So, the only way to eliminate this problem would be to free all the slaves and go cold turkey. His dedication to the cause, even when faced against adversity, he still stayed loyal to his belief and made it clear his opinion and continued to fight for what is right. This is what makes Garrison the true founder of the movement, he laid the foundation for what needed to be done.

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  8. The Reading "Woe if it Comes with Storm and Blood and Fire," was difficult and very LONG, but I believe that Garrison was so influential because he differed from others in the Abolitionist movements such as the "Quakers" He wanted the Slaves to learn certain things before being thrown into the American Society such as Religion and basic Reading and Writing skills. Garrison also gave well-spoken lectures and speeches. I believe he became the "Founder"/Leader of the abolitionist movement because he gathered the most followers.

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  9. After reading the article "Woe If It Comes with Storm and Blood and Fire”, I think Garrison was the "founder" of the American abolition movement if there were others before him because he was the only one who carried out his plan to abolish slavery, regardless of the consequences that came with it. Garrison suffered his own path being thrown into jail because of his beliefs, but this did not stop him from achieving what he wanted to do.

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