The Boston Guardian was an African-American newspaper , co-founded by William Monroe Trotter and George W. Forbes in 1901 in Boston and published until the 1950s.
128-603: In April 2016, an unrelated publisher launched its own Boston Guardian , a neighborhood weekly newspaper serving the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Downtown, Fenway, South End, and North End/Waterfront districts of Boston, despite criticism that it had appropriated a historic journalistic name for purely commercial reasons. The Guardian was founded in November 1901 and published in the same building that had once housed William Lloyd Garrison 's Liberator . In March 1901, Trotter helped organize
256-509: A 2018 publication, American philosopher and anarchist Crispin Sartwell wrote that the works by Garrison and his other Christian anarchist contemporaries like Ballou directly influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. , as well. Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both
384-402: A column devoted to printing short reports of "the barbarities of slavery – kidnappings, whippings, murders." For instance, Garrison reported that Francis Todd, a shipper from Garrison's home town of Newburyport, Massachusetts , was involved in the domestic slave trade , and that he had recently had slaves shipped from Baltimore to New Orleans in the coastwise trade on his ship
512-464: A copy of the Constitution, condemning it as "a Covenant with Death, an Agreement with Hell," referring to the three-fifths compromise that had written slavery into the Constitution. In 1855, his eight-year alliance with Frederick Douglass disintegrated when Douglass converted to classical liberal legal theorist and abolitionist Lysander Spooner's view (dominant among political abolitionists) that
640-563: A covenant with his people of Israel, placing conditions on them that they were to worship only him, and be obedient to the laws of life in the Ten Commandments. When Israel trusted and obeyed God, the nation prospered; when they rebelled, God spoke through prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah, telling Israel that God would wage war against Israel to punish her (Isaiah 59:15–19). War was used in God's ultimate purpose of restoring peace and harmony for
768-448: A fever and severe bronchitis , was unable to join the service. Wendell Phillips gave a eulogy and many of Garrison's old abolitionist friends joined him upstairs to offer their private condolences. Garrison recovered slowly from the loss of his wife and began to attend Spiritualist circles in the hope of communicating with Helen. Garrison last visited England in 1877, where he met with George Thompson and other longtime friends from
896-420: A fine of $ 50 and court costs. (Charges against Lundy were dropped because he had been traveling when the story was printed.) Garrison refused to pay the fine and was sentenced to a jail term of six months. He was released after seven weeks when the anti-slavery philanthropist Arthur Tappan paid his fine. Garrison decided to leave Maryland, and he and Lundy amicably parted ways. In 1831, Garrison, fully aware of
1024-531: A leading advocate of women's rights, which prompted a split in the abolitionist community. In the 1870s, Garrison became a prominent voice for the women's suffrage movement . Garrison was born on December 10, 1805, in Newburyport, Massachusetts , the son of immigrants from the British colony of New Brunswick , in present-day Canada. Under An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen , his father Abijah Garrison,
1152-615: A leading role in the May 30, 1850, meeting that called the first National Woman's Rights Convention, saying in his address to that meeting that the new movement should make securing the ballot to women its primary goal. At the national convention held in Worcester the following October, Garrison was appointed to the National Woman's Rights Central Committee, which served as the movement's executive committee, charged with carrying out programs adopted by
1280-404: A man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; – but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat
1408-527: A memorial service in a church in Washington, D.C., saying, "It was the glory of this man that he could stand alone with the truth, and calmly await the result." Garrison's namesake son, William Lloyd Garrison Jr. (1838–1909), was a prominent advocate of the single tax , free trade, women's suffrage, and of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act . His third son, Wendell Phillips Garrison (1840–1907),
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#17328482461491536-627: A merchant-sailing pilot and master, had obtained American papers and moved his family to Newburyport in 1806. The U.S. Embargo Act of 1807 , intended to injure Great Britain, caused a decline in American commercial shipping. The elder Garrison became unemployed and deserted the family in 1808. Garrison's mother was Frances Maria Lloyd, reported to have been tall, charming, and of a strong religious character. She started referring to their son William as Lloyd, his middle name, to preserve her family name; he later printed his name as "Wm. Lloyd". She died in 1823, in
1664-497: A national creed." Garrison spent more time at home with his family. He wrote weekly letters to his children and cared for his increasingly ill wife, Helen. She had suffered a small stroke on December 30, 1863, and was increasingly confined to the house. Helen died on January 25, 1876, after a severe cold worsened into pneumonia . A quiet funeral was held in the Garrison home. Garrison, overcome with grief and confined to his bedroom with
1792-512: A pacifist but expressed very strongly worded anti-war sentiment. Leo Tolstoy wrote extensively on Christian pacifism, while Mohandas K. Gandhi considered Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You as the text to have the most influence in his life. The first conscientious objector in the modern sense was a Quaker in 1815. Some Quakers had originally served in Cromwell's New Model Army before
1920-534: A policy of conscientious objection . This was confirmed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1914. The official policy allows for military service in non-combative roles such as medical corps much like Seventh-day Adventist Desmond Doss who was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor and one of only three so honored, and other supportive roles which do not require to kill or carry
2048-652: A prolonged period of persecution by the Catholic Church , which did not recognize their unorthodox Christianity. Catharism arrived in Western Europe in the Languedoc region of France in the 11th century. While most information concerning Cathar belief was written by their accusers, and therefore may be inaccurate, purportedly they were strict pacifists and rigorous ascetics , abjuring war, killing, lying, swearing, and carnal relations in accordance with their understanding of
2176-621: A proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States affirming the divinity of Jesus Christ on the basis of religious freedom, writing that "no one can fail to see that the Jew, Unitarian, or Deist could not worship in his own way, as an American citizen, precisely because the Constitution, under which his citizenship exists, would make faith in the New Testament and the divinity of Jesus Christ
2304-642: A rope around his waist, and pulled him through the streets towards Boston Common , calling for tar and feathers . The mayor intervened and Garrison was taken to the Leverett Street Jail for protection. Gallows were erected in front of his house, and he was burned in effigy . Garrison's appeal for women's mass petitioning against slavery sparked controversy over women's right to a political voice. In 1837, women abolitionists from seven states convened in New York to expand their petitioning efforts and repudiate
2432-788: A scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism and that his followers must do likewise. Notable Christian pacifists include Martin Luther King Jr. , Leo Tolstoy , Adin Ballou , Dorothy Day , Ammon Hennacy , and brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan . Christian anarchists , such as Ballou and Hennacy, believe that adherence to Christianity requires not just pacifism but, because governments inevitably threatened or used force to resolve conflicts, anarchism . Most Christian pacifists, including
2560-463: A single inch – and I will be heard . The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and to hasten the resurrection of the dead. Paid subscriptions to The Liberator were always fewer than its circulation. In 1834 it had two thousand subscribers, three-fourths of whom were black people. Benefactors paid to have the newspaper distributed free of charge to state legislators, governor's mansions, Congress, and
2688-481: A son and a daughter died as children. The threat posed by anti-slavery organizations and their activity drew violent reactions from slave interests in both the Southern and Northern states, with mobs breaking up anti-slavery meetings, assaulting lecturers, ransacking anti-slavery offices, burning postal sacks of anti-slavery pamphlets, and destroying anti-slavery presses. Healthy bounties were offered in Southern states for
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#17328482461492816-504: A weapon. In practice today, as a pastor from the Seventh-day Adventist church comments in an online magazine runs by members of the Seventh-day Adventist church: "Today in a volunteer army a lot of Adventist young men and women join the military in combat positions, and there are many Adventist pastors electing for military chaplaincy positions, supporting combatants and non-combatants alike. On Veteran's Day, American churches across
2944-400: A world of sinful men and activities, such as war. God's participation through evil human activity such as war was for the sole purposes of both redemption and judgment. God's presence in these Old Testament wars does not justify or deem them holy, and instead is interpreted as serving to provide hope in a situation of hopelessness. The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) and
3072-533: Is a neighborhood newspaper serving the Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway, South End, and North End/Waterfront districts of Boston. The publisher had previously produced the Boston Courant from 1995 to 2016. The new publication's name stirred up some controversy over the alleged appropriation of a historic journalistic name. William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 10, 1805 – May 24, 1879)
3200-560: Is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. Therefore one who has love, courage, and wisdom is the one in a million who moves the world, as with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi. "What do you mean by anarchist-pacifist ?" First, I would say that the two words should go together, especially [...] when more and more people, even priests, are turning to violence, and are finding their heroes in Camillo Torres among
3328-497: Is lawful to kill dumb animals, in so far as they are naturally directed to man's use, as the imperfect is directed to the perfect." Catharism was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe , particularly in northern Italy and southern France . Followers were described as Cathars and referred to themselves as Good Christians, and are now mainly remembered for
3456-582: Is not even allowed by the public laws, but He warns us against the commission of those things which are esteemed lawful among men. Thus it will be neither lawful for a just man to engage in warfare"; while Gregory of Nyssa conveys the spirit of anarchism , "How can a man be master of another's life, if he is not even master of his own? Hence he ought to be poor in spirit, and look at Him who for our sake became poor of His own will; let him consider that we are all equal by nature, and not exalt himself impertinently against his own race." Saint Maximilian of Tebessa
3584-409: Is not right to kill, yet in war it is lawful and praiseworthy to destroy the enemy; accordingly not only are they who have distinguished themselves in the field held worthy of great honours, but monuments are put up proclaiming their achievements." Some scholars believe that "the accession of Constantine terminated the pacifist period in church history." Nevertheless, the tradition of Christian pacifism
3712-479: Is now for a long period enjoying a benefit from Christ"; Archelaus , "many [soldiers] were added to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and threw off the belt of military service"; Cyprian of Carthage , "The whole world is wet with mutual blood; and murder, which in the case of an individual is admitted to be a crime, is called a virtue when it is committed wholesale"; and Lactantius , "For when God forbids us to kill, He not only prohibits us from open violence, which
3840-432: Is the only giver of life and God is sovereign over human life. Man's role is to be a steward who should take care of all of God's creation, and that includes protecting human life. Craige explains God's self-revelation through his participating in human history is referred to as " Salvation History ." The main objective of God's participation is man's salvation. God participates in human history by acting through people and in
3968-445: Is the word of peace; His body is the body of peace; His children are the seed of peace. To our most bitter opponents we say: 'We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you.' Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom
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4096-601: Is utterly incompatible with the plain precepts of our divine Lord and Law-giver, and with the whole spirit of the Gospel; and that no plea of necessity or policy, however urgent or peculiar, can avail to release either individuals or nations for the paramount allegiance which they owe to Him who hath said, "Love your enemies." Therefore, we cannot participate in war (Rom. 12:19), war activities, or compulsory training. The beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses have engendered controversy throughout their history . Consequently,
4224-640: The American Civil War . They are one of the few churches to have been legally formed over the issue of Christian pacifism. The British and Canadian arms of the group adopted the name "Christadelphian" in the following year, 1864, and also maintained objection to military service during the First and Second World Wars. Unlike Quakers, Christadelphians generally refused all forms of military service, including stretcher bearers and medics, preferring non-uniformed civil hospital service. The different groups evolving under
4352-639: The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) and the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association. He was a major figure in New England's woman suffrage campaigns during the 1870s. In 1873, he healed his long estrangements from Frederick Douglass and Wendell Phillips , affectionately reuniting with them on the platform at an AWSA rally organized by Abby Kelly Foster and Lucy Stone on the one-hundredth anniversary of
4480-510: The Boston Tea Party . When Charles Sumner died in 1874, some Republicans suggested Garrison as a possible successor to his Senate seat; Garrison declined on grounds of his moral opposition to taking office. Garrison called the ancient Jews an exclusivist people "whose feet ran to evil" and suggested that the Jewish diaspora was the result of their own "egotism and self-complacency." When
4608-711: The Francis . (This was completely legal. An expanded domestic trade, "breeding" slaves in Maryland and Virginia for shipment south, replaced the importation of African slaves, prohibited in 1808; see Slavery in the United States#Slave trade .) Todd filed a suit for libel in Maryland against both Garrison and Lundy; he thought to gain support from pro-slavery courts. The state of Maryland also brought criminal charges against Garrison, quickly finding him guilty and ordering him to pay
4736-617: The Friends' Ambulance Unit with the aim of "co-operating with others to build up a new world rather than fighting to destroy the old", and the American Friends Service Committee during the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts. Shakers , who emerged in part from Quakerism in 1747, do not believe that it is acceptable to kill or harm others, even in times of war. During the American Civil War in 1864, shortly after
4864-619: The Gospel . Allegedly rejecting the Old Testament, Cathars despised dogmatic elements of Christianity, while their Priests ( Perfects ) subsisted on a diet of little more than vegetables cooked in oil, or fish not a product of sexual union. " Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. " is a phrase reportedly spoken by the commander of the Albigensian Crusade , prior to the massacre at Béziers on 22 July 1209. A direct translation of
4992-610: The Herald . One of their regular contributors was poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier . In this early work as a small-town newspaper writer, Garrison acquired skills he would later use as a nationally known writer, speaker, and newspaper publisher. In 1828, he was appointed editor of the National Philanthropist in Boston, Massachusetts , the first American journal to promote legally-mandated temperance . He became involved in
5120-587: The Medieval Latin phrase is "Kill them. The Lord knows those that are his own." The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards , a 1395 document of Lollardy , asserts that Christians should refrain from warfare, and in particular that wars given religious justifications, such as crusades, are blasphemous because Christ taught men to love and forgive their enemies. As early as 1420, Petr Chelčický taught that violence should not be used in religious matters. Chelčický used
5248-819: The River Brethren (such as the Brethren in Christ ), the Apostolic Christian Church , and the Bruderhof Communities . Although the group had already separated from the Campbellites , a part of the Restoration Movement , after 1848 for theological reasons as the "Royal Assembly of Believers", among other names, the " Christadelphians " formed as a church formally in 1863 in response to conscription in
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5376-646: The Tuskegee Institute . The Guardian reached the peak of its circulation and prestige about the year 1910, roughly coinciding with the establishment of the National Association of Colored People , of which Trotter was a co-founder along with W. E. B. DuBois , et al. Trotter and Du Bois had previously joined with others in the formation of the Niagara Movement , immediate predecessor to the NAACP . Within
5504-432: The parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24–30) to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. He thought that it is wrong to kill even the sinful and that Christians should refuse military service . He argued that if the poor refused, the lords would have no one to go to war for them. Since then, many other Christians have made similar stands for pacifism as
5632-462: The peace churches , Christian Peacemaker Teams , and individuals like John Howard Yoder , make no claim to be anarchists. Roots of Christian pacifism can be found in the scriptures of the Old Testament according to Baylor University professor of religion, John A. Wood. Millard C. Lind explains the theology of warfare in ancient Israel as God directing the people of Israel to trust in him, not in
5760-765: The peace testimony of Friends was issued after the restoration of the British monarchy in 1660. A number of Christian denominations have taken pacifist positions institutionally, including the Quakers and Mennonites . The term "historical peace churches" refers to three churches—the Church of the Brethren , the Mennonites and the Quakers—who took part in the first peace church conference, in Kansas in 1935, and who have worked together to represent
5888-545: The "woman question," Garrison announced in December 1837 that The Liberator would support "the rights of woman to their utmost extent." The Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society appointed women to leadership positions and hired Abby Kelley as the first of several female field agents. In 1840, Garrison's promotion of woman's rights within the anti-slavery movement was one of the issues that caused some abolitionists, including New York brothers Arthur Tappan and Lewis Tappan , to leave
6016-477: The 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased." At times, political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has led to mob action and governmental repression in various countries including the United States , Canada and Nazi Germany . During World War II , Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted in the United States, Canada, and many other countries because they refused to serve in
6144-461: The 1950s. W. E. B. Du Bois attests to the influence and effectiveness of the Boston Guardian . In reference to W. M. Trotter's opposition to B. T. Washington, he wrote: This opposition began to become vocal in 1901 when two men, Monroe Trotter, Harvard 1895, and George Forbes, Amherst 1895, began the publication of the Boston Guardian . The Guardian was bitter, satirical, and personal; but it
6272-638: The AAS and form the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society , which did not admit women. In June of that same year, when the World Anti-Slavery Convention meeting in London refused to seat America's women delegates, Garrison, Charles Lenox Remond , Nathaniel P. Rogers , and William Adams refused to take their seats as delegates as well and joined the women in the spectators' gallery. The controversy introduced
6400-526: The American Anti-Slavery Society was the conversion of all Americans to the philosophy that "Slaveholding is a heinous crime in the sight of God" and that "duty, safety, and best interests of all concerned, require its immediate abandonment without expatriation." Meanwhile, on September 4, 1834, Garrison married Helen Eliza Benson (1811–1876), the daughter of a retired abolitionist merchant. The couple had five sons and two daughters, of whom
6528-516: The Arms", "piled up their swords, guns, and other weapons and burned them in large bonfires while they sang psalms". The Wesleyan Methodist Church , one of the first Methodist denominations of the holiness movement , opposed war as documented in their 1844 Book of Discipline , that noted that the Gospel is in "every way opposed to the practice of War in all its forms; and those customs which tend to foster and perpetuate war spirit, [are] inconsistent with
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#17328482461496656-484: The Boston Literary and Historical Association, a forum for militant race opinion. The paper enjoyed broad appeal with readers outside of Massachusetts, featuring news of interest to people of color from across the nation, as well as social notes, church news, sports, and fiction. Within its editorial opinion columns, Trotter often assailed the conservative accommodationist ideology of Booker T. Washington , founder of
6784-517: The British abolitionist movement. Suffering from kidney disease , Garrison continued to weaken during April 1879. He moved to New York to live with his daughter Fanny's family. In late May, his condition worsened, and his five surviving children rushed to join him. Fanny asked if he would enjoy singing some hymns. Although he was unable to sing, his children sang favorite hymns while he beat time with his hands and feet. On May 24, 1879, Garrison lost consciousness and died just before midnight. Garrison
6912-630: The Constitution could be interpreted as being anti-slavery. The events in John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry , followed by Brown's trial and execution , were closely followed in The Liberator . Garrison had Brown's last speech, in court, printed as a broadside, available in the Liberator office. Garrison's outspoken anti-slavery views repeatedly put him in danger. Besides his imprisonment in Baltimore and
7040-571: The Frisian bandits ransacked their possessions but found that the company's luggage did not contain the riches they had hoped for: "they broke open the chests containing the books and found, to their dismay, that they held manuscripts instead of gold vessels, pages of sacred texts instead of silver plates." The Peace and Truce of God was a movement in the Middle Ages led by the Catholic Church and
7168-614: The Garrisonian traitors for the fairly expressed opinions of the North." After the United States abolished slavery, Garrison announced in May 1865 that he would resign the presidency of the American Anti-Slavery Society and offered a resolution declaring victory in the struggle against slavery and dissolving the society. The resolution prompted a sharp debate, however, led by his long-time friend Wendell Phillips , who argued that
7296-489: The Georgia Legislature offered a $ 5,000 reward (equivalent to $ 152,600 in 2023) for his capture and conveyance to the state for trial. Knapp parted from The Liberator in 1840. Later in 1845, when Garrison published a eulogy for his former partner and friend, he revealed that Knapp "was led by adversity and business mismanagement, to put the cup of intoxication to his lips," forcing the co-authors to part. Among
7424-547: The Jewish-American sheriff and writer Mordecai Manuel Noah defended slavery, Garrison attacked Noah as "the miscreant Jew" and "the enemy of Christ and liberty." On other occasions, Garrison described Noah as a "Shylock" and as "the lineal descendant of the monsters who nailed Jesus to the cross." However, Garrison acknowledged prejudice against Jews in Europe, which he compared to prejudice against African-Americans, and opposed
7552-448: The Promised Land to Israel, and then to defend that land. The Old Testament explains that Israel does not have to fight wars like other nations because God delivers them. Starting with the Exodus out of Egypt, God fights for Israel as a warrior rescuing his people from the oppressive Egyptians (Exodus 15:3). In Exodus 14:13, Moses instructs the Israelites, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." The miraculous parting of
7680-399: The Red Sea is God being a warrior for Israel through acts of nature and not human armies. God's promise to fight on behalf of his chosen people is affirmed in the scriptures of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 1:30). According to Old Testament scholar Peter C. Craige, during the military conquests of the Promised Land, the Israelites fought in real wars against real human enemies; however, it
7808-507: The Roman Senate that his Christian soldiers fought with prayers instead of conventional weapons, which resulted in the Rain Miracle of the Marcomannic Wars . After the Roman Emperor Constantine converted in AD 312 and began to conquer "in Christ's name", Christianity became entangled with the state, and warfare and violence were increasingly justified by influential Christians. For example, Augustine of Hippo advocated for state persecution of Donatists , while, according to Athanasius , "it
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#17328482461497936-434: The U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document, abolitionists should not participate in politics and government. A growing number of abolitionists, including Stanton, Gerrit Smith , Charles Turner Torrey , and Amos A. Phelps , wanted to form an anti-slavery political party and seek a political solution to slavery. They withdrew from the AAS in 1840, formed the Liberty Party , and nominated James G. Birney for president. By
8064-413: The United States . Garrison was a typesetter , which aided him in running The Liberator , and when working on his own editorials for the paper, Garrison would set them in type without first writing them out on paper. Much like the martyred Elijah Lovejoy , a price was on Garrison's head; he was burned in effigy and gallows were erected in front of his Boston office. Later on, Garrison would emerge as
8192-438: The United States. By January 1832, he had attracted enough followers to organize the New-England Anti-Slavery Society which, by the following summer, had dozens of affiliates and several thousand members. In December 1833, abolitionists from ten states founded the American Anti-Slavery Society (AAS). Although the New England society reorganized in 1835 as the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, enabling state societies to form in
8320-459: The White House. Although Garrison rejected violence as a means for ending slavery, his critics saw him as a dangerous fanatic because he demanded immediate and total emancipation, without compensation to the slave owners . Nat Turner 's slave rebellion in Virginia just seven months after The Liberator started publication fueled the outcry against Garrison in the South. A North Carolina grand jury indicted him for distributing incendiary material, and
8448-413: The abolitionist John Brown . Leo Tolstoy was greatly influenced by the works of Garrison and his contemporary Adin Ballou , as their writings on Christian anarchism aligned with Tolstoy's burgeoning theo-political ideology. Along with Tolstoy publishing a short biography of Garrison in 1904, he frequently cited Garrison and his works in his non-fiction texts like The Kingdom of God Is Within You . In
8576-457: The anti-slavery essays and poems which Garrison published in The Liberator was an article in 1856 by a 14-year-old Anna Elizabeth Dickinson . The Liberator gradually gained a large following in the Northern states. It printed or reprinted many reports, letters, and news stories, serving as a type of community bulletin board for the abolition movement. By 1861 it had subscribers across the North, as well as in England, Scotland, and Canada. After
8704-406: The anti-slavery movement in the 1820s, and over time he rejected both the American Colonization Society and the gradualist views of most others involved in the movement. Garrison co-founded The Liberator to espouse his abolitionist views, and in 1832 he organized out of its readers the New-England Anti-Slavery Society . This society expanded into the American Anti-Slavery Society , which espoused
8832-514: The basis that its engagement in war, imperialism , and slavery made it corrupt and tyrannical. He initially opposed violence as a principle and advocated for Christian pacifism against evil; at the outbreak of the American Civil War , he abandoned his previous principles and embraced the armed struggle and the Lincoln administration. He was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society and promoted immediate and uncompensated, as opposed to gradual and compensated, emancipation of slaves in
8960-482: The benevolent designs of the Christian religion." The Reformed Free Methodist Church , Emmanuel Association , Immanuel Missionary Church , Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) , First Bible Holiness Church, and Christ's Sanctified Holy Church are denominations in the holiness movement known for their opposition to war today; they are known as "holiness pacifists". The Emmanuel Association teaches: We feel bound explicitly to avow our unshaken persuasion that War
9088-413: The capture of Garrison, "dead or alive". On October 21, 1835, "an assemblage of fifteen hundred or two thousand highly respectable gentlemen", as they were described in the Boston Commercial Gazette , surrounded the building housing Boston's anti-slavery offices, where Garrison had agreed to address a meeting of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society after the fiery British abolitionist George Thompson
9216-488: The causes of civil rights for blacks and woman's rights, particularly the campaign for suffrage. He contributed columns on Reconstruction and civil rights for The Independent and The Boston Journal . In 1870, he became an associate editor of the women's suffrage newspaper, the Woman's Journal , along with Mary Livermore , Thomas Wentworth Higginson , Lucy Stone , and Henry B. Blackwell . He served as president of both
9344-544: The city of Baltimore, Maryland . Garrison sold homemade lemonade and candy as a youth, and also delivered wood to help support the family. In 1818, at 13, Garrison began working as an apprentice compositor for the Newburyport Herald . He soon began writing articles, often under the pseudonym Aristides . (Aristides was an Athenian statesman and general, nicknamed "the Just".) He could write as he typeset his writing, without
9472-591: The civil authority must be taught not to kill men and to refuse to do so if he is commanded, and to refuse to take an oath. If he is unwilling to comply, he must be rejected for baptism." Tertullian formed an early argument against statolatry , "There is no agreement between the divine and the human sacrament , the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil , the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be due to two masters—God and Cæsar ," also writing, "the People warred: if it pleases you to sport with
9600-400: The conventions, raising funds, printing proceedings and tracts, and organizing annual conventions. In 1849, Garrison became involved in one of Boston's most notable trials of the time. Washington Goode , a black seaman, had been sentenced to death for the murder of a fellow black mariner, Thomas Harding. In The Liberator Garrison argued that the verdict relied on "circumstantial evidence of
9728-460: The country take time to give honor and respect to those who 'served their country,' without any attempt to differentiate how they served, whether as bomber pilots, Navy Seals, or Operation Whitecoat guinea pigs. I have yet to see a service honoring those who ran away to Canada to avoid participation in the senseless carnage of Vietnam in their Biblical pacifism." Lambeth Conference 1930 Resolution 25 declares that, "The Conference affirms that war as
9856-437: The creative power of God's word, of speaking through the law and the prophets. The scriptures in the Old Testament provide background of God's great victory over evil, sin and death. Stephen Vantassel contends the Old Testament exists to put the issue of war and killing in historical and situational context. The role of war is developed and changes throughout the Old Testament. Chapman asserts God used war to conquer and provide
9984-486: The denomination has been opposed by local governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses heretical , and some professors of religion have classified the denomination as a cult . According to law professor Archibald Cox , Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States were "the principal victims of religious persecution … they began to attract attention and provoke repression in
10112-485: The efforts of Garrison and many other prominent figures of the time, Goode was hanged on May 25, 1849. Garrison became famous as one of the most articulate, as well as most radical, opponents of slavery. His approach to emancipation stressed "moral suasion," non-violence, and passive resistance. While some other abolitionists of the time favored gradual emancipation, Garrison argued for the "immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves." On July 4, 1854, he publicly burned
10240-491: The end of 1840, Garrison announced the formation of a third new organization, the Friends of Universal Reform , with sponsors and founding members including prominent reformers Maria Chapman , Abby Kelley Foster , Oliver Johnson , and Amos Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May Alcott ). Although some members of the Liberty Party supported woman's rights, including women's suffrage , Garrison's Liberator continued to be
10368-613: The end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery by the Thirteenth Amendment , Garrison published the last issue (number 1,820) on December 29, 1865, writing a "Valedictory" column. After reviewing his long career in journalism and the cause of abolitionism, he wrote: The object for which the Liberator was commenced – the extermination of chattel slavery – having been gloriously consummated, it seems to be especially appropriate to let its existence cover
10496-599: The film The Birth of a Nation by D. W. Griffith , which also faced a boycott campaign organized by the NAACP in Boston. With high circulation and substantial advertising revenue, the Guardian enjoyed financial success in addition to crusading for civil rights. However, when William Monroe Trotter died in 1934 of an apparent accident at his home, the Guardian had already seen its best years. The newspaper eventually ceased publication in
10624-561: The first mass peace movement in history. The goal of both the Pax Dei and the Treuga Dei was to limit the violence of feuding endemic to the western half of the former Carolingian Empire – following its collapse in the middle of the 9th century – using the threat of spiritual sanctions. The eastern half of the former Carolingian Empire did not experience the same collapse of central authority, and neither did England. The Peace of God
10752-467: The following quotes show: The Scriptures teach that there are two opposing princes and two opposing kingdoms: the one is the Prince of peace; the other the prince of strife. Each of these princes has his particular kingdom and as the prince is so is also the kingdom. The Prince of peace is Christ Jesus; His kingdom is the kingdom of peace, which is His church; His messengers are the messengers of peace; His Word
10880-618: The formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church , the Seventh-day Adventists declared, "The denomination of Christians calling themselves Seventh-day Adventists, taking the Bible as their rule of faith and practice, are unanimous in their views that its teaching are contrary to the spirit and practice of war; hence, they have ever been conscientiously opposed to bearing arms." The general Adventist movement from 1867 followed
11008-464: The fundamental principle it holds true is that reverence for human life must be given the highest importance. The Old Testament points to a time when weapons of war shall be transformed into the instruments of peace, and the hope for the consummation of the Kingdom of God when there will be no more war. Wood points to the scriptures of Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 2:2–4; 9:5; 11:1–9; and Micah 4:1–7) that express
11136-415: The historic period of the great struggle; leaving what remains to be done to complete the work of emancipation to other instrumentalities, (of which I hope to avail myself,) under new auspices, with more abundant means, and with millions instead of hundreds for allies. In addition to publishing The Liberator , Garrison spearheaded the organization of a new movement to demand the total abolition of slavery in
11264-504: The layout of the paper and handled other production issues. Lundy was freed to spend more time touring as an anti-slavery speaker. Garrison initially shared Lundy's gradualist views, but while working for the Genius , he became convinced of the need to demand immediate and complete emancipation. Lundy and Garrison continued to work together on the paper despite their differing views. Each signed his editorials. Garrison introduced "The Black List,"
11392-512: The leading advocate of woman's rights throughout the 1840s, publishing editorials, speeches, legislative reports, and other developments concerning the subject. In February 1849, Garrison's name headed the women's suffrage petition sent to the Massachusetts legislature, the first such petition sent to any American legislature, and he supported the subsequent annual suffrage petition campaigns organized by Lucy Stone and Wendell Phillips. Garrison took
11520-423: The military or contribute to the war effort due to their doctrine of political neutrality . In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Japanese and Chinese descent . The Molokans are a Spiritual Christian denomination that advocate pacifism. They have historically been persecuted for failing to bear arms. The Moravian Church historically adheres to
11648-424: The mission of the AAS was not fully completed until black Southerners gained full political and civil equality. Garrison maintained that while complete civil equality was vitally important, the special task of the AAS was at an end, and that the new task would best be handled by new organizations and new leadership. With his long-time allies deeply divided, however, he was unable to muster the support he needed to carry
11776-414: The most flimsy character ..." and feared that the determination of the government to uphold its decision to execute Goode was based on race. As all other death sentences since 1836 in Boston had been commuted, Garrison concluded that Goode would be the last person executed in Boston for a capital offense writing, "Let it not be said that the last man Massachusetts bore to hang was a colored man!" Despite
11904-453: The name Church of God (7th day) stand opposed to carnal warfare, based on Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10; Romans 12:19–21. They believe the weapons of their warfare to not be carnal but spiritual (II Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 6:11–18). The Doukhobors are a Spiritual Christian denomination that advocate pacifism. On June 29, 1895, the Doukhobors, in what is known as the "Burning of
12032-489: The nations to achieve his purposes (2 Kings 18:9–12, Jeremiah 25:8–9, Habakkuk 1:5–11). Yoder affirms as long as Israel trusted and followed God, God would work his power through Israel to drive occupants from lands God willed them to occupy (Exodus 23:27–33). The future of Israel was dependent solely on its faith and obedience to God as mediated through the Law and prophets, and not on military strength. Jacob Enz explains God made
12160-471: The need for paper. His most significant contribution to the paper, during the final year of his apprenticeship, was a severe repudiation of American Writers by John Neal . This started a years-long feud. After his apprenticeship ended, Garrison became the sole owner, editor, and printer of the Newburyport Free Press, acquiring the rights from his friend Isaac Knapp , who had also apprenticed at
12288-526: The other New England states, it remained the hub of anti-slavery agitation throughout the antebellum period. Many affiliates were organized by women who responded to Garrison's appeals for women to take an active part in the abolition movement. The largest of these was the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society , which raised funds to support The Liberator , publish anti-slavery pamphlets, and conduct anti-slavery petition drives. The purpose of
12416-523: The pacifist view of God's plan to bring peace without violence. Jesus appeared to teach pacifism during his ministry when he told his disciples : You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye , and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also . Love your enemies , do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw
12544-458: The pages of the Guardian, Trotter criticized the slow progress in Negro social advancement in the face of institutional racism, discriminatory practices, and de jure segregation . When Thomas Dixon's 1905 play The Clansman (based on Dixon's novel of the same name) was performed in Boston, the Guardian mounted a campaign that forced it from the stage. The stage production was adapted in 1915 into
12672-555: The poor slaves, for having uttered a sentiment so full of timidity, injustice, and absurdity. A similar recantation, from my pen, was published in the Genius of Universal Emancipation at Baltimore, in September 1829. My conscience is now satisfied. I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell
12800-601: The position of Christian pacifism, evidenced in atrocities such as the Gnadenhutten massacre , where the Lenape Moravian martyrs practiced nonresistance with their murderers, singing hymns until their execution by American revolutionaries. Most Quakers, also known as Friends (members of the Religious Society of Friends), hold peace as a core value, including the refusal to participate in war going as far as forming
12928-508: The position that slavery should be immediately abolished. At the age of 25, Garrison joined the anti-slavery movement, later crediting the 1826 book of Presbyterian Reverend John Rankin , Letters on Slavery , for attracting him to the cause. For a brief time, he became associated with the American Colonization Society , an organization that promoted the "resettlement" of free blacks to a territory (now known as Liberia ) on
13056-552: The press as a means to bring about political change, returned to New England, where he co-founded a weekly anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator , with his friend Isaac Knapp . In the first issue, Garrison stated: In Park-Street Church, on the Fourth of July, 1829, I unreflectingly assented to the popular but pernicious doctrine of gradual abolition. I seize this moment to make a full and unequivocal recantation, and thus publicly to ask pardon of my God, of my country, and of my brethren
13184-499: The price placed on his head by the state of Georgia , he was the object of vituperation and frequent death threats. On the eve of the Civil War, a sermon preached in a Universalist chapel in Brooklyn, New York , denounced "the bloodthirsty sentiments of Garrison and his school; and did not wonder that the feeling of the South was exasperated, taking as they did, the insane and bloody ravings of
13312-486: The priests, and Che Guevara among laymen. The attraction is strong, because both men literally laid down their lives for their brothers. "Greater love hath no man than this." "Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love." Che Guevara wrote this, and he is quoted by Chicano youth in El Grito Del Norte . Charles Spurgeon did not explicitly identify as
13440-404: The putting of men to death [...] He nowhere teaches that it is right for His own disciples to offer violence to any one, however wicked." Further examples include Arnobius , "evil ought not to be requited with evil, that it is better to suffer wrong than to inflict it, that we should rather shed our own blood than stain our hands and our conscience with that of another, an ungrateful world
13568-602: The ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted voting rights to black men. (According to Henry Mayer , Garrison was hurt by the rejection, and remained peeved for years; "as the cycle came around, always managed to tell someone that he was not going to the next set of [AAS] meetings" [594].) After his withdrawal from AAS and ending The Liberator , Garrison continued to participate in public reform movements. He supported
13696-400: The resolution, and it was defeated 118–48. Declaring that his "vocation as an Abolitionist, thank God, has ended," Garrison resigned the presidency and declined an appeal to continue. Returning home to Boston , he withdrew completely from the AAS and ended publication of The Liberator at the end of 1865. With Wendell Phillips at its head, the AAS continued to operate for five more years, until
13824-611: The social mores that proscribed their participation in public affairs. That summer, sisters Angelina Grimké and Sarah Grimké responded to the controversy aroused by their public speaking with treatises on woman's rights – Angelina's "Letters to Catherine E. Beecher" and Sarah's "Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and Condition of Woman" – and Garrison published them first in The Liberator and then in book form. Instead of surrendering to appeals for him to retreat on
13952-601: The subject. But how will a Christian man war, nay, how will he serve even in peace, without a sword, which the Lord has taken away?" Origen , whose father Leonidus was martyred during the persecution of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus in the year 202 AD, writes, "Jews [...] were permitted to take up arms in defence of the members of their families, and to slay their enemies, the Christian Lawgiver [has] altogether forbidden
14080-565: The sword will die by the sword . Blessed are the peacemakers , for they shall be called sons of God. Several Church Fathers interpreted Jesus' teachings as advocating nonviolence . For example, Justin Martyr writes, "we who formerly used to murder one another do not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ," and, "we who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through
14208-797: The view of Christian pacifism. Of these, both Mennonites and the Schwarzenau Brethren are Anabaptist Churches. Traditionally, Anabaptists hold firmly to their beliefs in nonviolence. Many of these churches continue to advocate nonviolence, including the Anabaptist traditions of the Mennonites , the Amish , the Hutterites , the Schwarzenau Brethren (such as the Old Order River Brethren ),
14336-783: The warring way of the nations, and to seek peace, not coercive power. Stephen B. Chapman expresses the Old Testament describes God's divine intervention, not human power politics, or the warring king, as key to the preservation of Israel. Lind asserts the Old Testament reflects that God occasionally sanctions, even commands wars to the point of God actually fighting utilizing the forces of nature, miraculous acts or other nations. Lind further argues God fights so that Israel does not have to fight wars like other nations because God delivers them. God promised to fight for Israel, to be an enemy to their enemies and oppose all that oppose them (Exodus 23:22). Pacifist God, John Howard Yoder explains, sustained and directed his community not by power politics but by
14464-770: The weak man." According to the Bonifacian hagiography , Boniface , in 754, set out with a retinue for Frisia , with the hope of converting the Frisians . He baptized a great number and summoned a general meeting for confirmation at a place not far from Dokkum , between Franeker and Groningen . Instead of his converts, however, a group of armed robbers appeared who slew the aged archbishop. The hagiography mention that Boniface persuaded his (armed) comrades to lay down their arms: "Cease fighting. Lay down your arms, for we are told in scripture not to render evil for evil but to overcome evil by good." Having killed Boniface and his company,
14592-432: The west coast of Africa. Although some members of the society encouraged granting freedom to enslaved people, others considered relocation a means to reduce the number of already free blacks in the United States. Southern members thought reducing the threat of free blacks in society would help preserve the institution of slavery. By late 1829–1830, "Garrison rejected colonization, publicly apologized for his error, and then, as
14720-486: The whole earth changed our warlike weapons,—our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage,—and we cultivate piety…". Tatian writes that, "I am not anxious to be rich; I decline military command [...] Die to the world, repudiating the madness that is in it"; and Aristides writes that "Through love towards their oppressors, they persuade them to become Christians." Hippolytus of Rome went so far as to deny soldiers baptism : "A soldier of
14848-517: The whole earth with the intention towards salvation of all the nations with the coming of the Messiah and a new covenant. Jacob Enz describes God's plan was to use the nation of Israel for a higher purpose, and that purpose was to be the mediator between all the peoples and God. The Old Testament reflects how God helped his people of Israel, even after Israel's repeated lapses of faith, demonstrating God's grace, not violence. The Old Testament explains God
14976-537: The woman's rights question not only to England but also to future woman's rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton , who attended the convention as a spectator, accompanying her delegate-husband, Henry B. Stanton . Although Henry Stanton had cooperated in the Tappans' failed attempt to wrest leadership of the AAS from Garrison, he was part of another group of abolitionists unhappy with Garrison's influence – those who disagreed with Garrison's insistence that because
15104-432: The world that is both in need of salvation, and is thus imperfect. God participates in the human activity of war through sinful human beings for his purpose of bringing salvation to the world. Studies conducted by scholars Friedrich Schwally, Johannes Pedersen, Patrick D. Miller, Rudolf Smend and Gerhard von Rad maintain the wars of Israel in the Old Testament were by God's divine command. This divine activity took place in
15232-462: Was God who granted them victory in their battles. Craige further contends God determined the outcome of human events with his participation through those humans and their activity; essentially, that God fought through the fighting of his people. Once the Promised Land was secured, and the nation of Israel progressed, God used war to protect or punish the nation of Israel with his sovereign control of
15360-404: Was an American abolitionist , journalist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator , which Garrison founded in 1831 and published in Boston until slavery in the United States was partially abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. Garrison promoted "no-governmentism" and rejected the inherent validity of the American government on
15488-491: Was buried in the Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood on May 28, 1879. At the public memorial service, eulogies were given by Theodore Dwight Weld and Wendell Phillips . Eight abolitionist friends, both white and black, served as his pallbearers. Flags were flown at half-staff all across Boston . Frederick Douglass , then employed as a United States Marshal , spoke in memory of Garrison at
15616-487: Was carried on by a few dedicated Christians throughout the ages, such as Martin of Tours , who converted during the early days of Christianity in Europe. Martin, who was then a young soldier, declared in AD 336, "I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight." He was jailed for this action, but later released, eventually becoming just the third Bishop of Tours . Jerome also writes, "To die is the lot of all, to commit homicide only of
15744-417: Was earnest, and it published facts. It attracted wide attention among colored people; it circulated among them all over the country; it was quoted and discussed. I did not wholly agree with the Guardian , and indeed only a few Negroes did, but nearly all read it and were influenced by it. In 2016, the name was taken up by a new weekly title, published in Boston on Fridays by Guard Dog Media Inc. The publication
15872-469: Was executed by the order of the proconsul Dion for his refusal to serve in the Roman army as he thought killing was evil; he became recognized as a Christian martyr . However, many early Christians also served in the army , with multiple military saints before the time of Constantine , and the presence of large numbers of Christians in his army may have been a factor in the conversion of Constantine to Christianity. Marcus Aurelius allegedly reported to
16000-494: Was first proclaimed in 989, at the Council of Charroux . It sought to protect ecclesiastical property, agricultural resources and unarmed clerics. The Truce of God, first proclaimed in 1027 at the Council of Toulouges , attempted to limit the days of the week and times of year that the nobility engaged in violence. By the 13th century , Thomas Aquinas was bold enough to declare, concerning heretics , "I answer that [...] it
16128-415: Was literary editor of The Nation from 1865 to 1906. Two other sons (George Thompson Garrison and Francis Jackson Garrison, his biographer and named after abolitionist Francis Jackson ) and a daughter, Helen Frances Garrison (who married Henry Villard ), survived him. Fanny's son Oswald Garrison Villard became a prominent journalist, a founding member of the NAACP , and wrote an important biography of
16256-588: Was typical of him, he censured all who were committed to it." He stated that anti-colonialism activist and fellow abolitionist William J. Watkins had influenced his view. In 1829, Garrison began writing for and became co-editor with Benjamin Lundy of the Quaker newspaper Genius of Universal Emancipation , published at that time in Baltimore, Maryland . With his experience as a printer and newspaper editor, Garrison changed
16384-407: Was unable to keep his engagement with them. Mayor Theodore Lyman persuaded the women to leave the building, but when the mob learned that Thompson was not within, they began yelling for Garrison. Lyman was a staunch anti-abolitionist but wanted to avoid bloodshed and suggested Garrison escape by a back window while Lyman told the crowd Garrison was gone. The mob spotted and apprehended Garrison, tied
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