January 1, 1831: The First Edition Of The Liberator Demands Immediate Freedom For All Slaves

You are there: On New Year’s Day in 1831 a man named William Lloyd Garrison publishes
his first edition of a bi-weekly newspaper which will become an enduring beacon of light for the abolitionist cause. Garrison is the son of a Baptist revivalist mother who imbues him with a “holy fire” on behalf of social reforms. Growing up both poor and uneducated, at thirteen he takes a job as a “printer’s devil.” He soon masters the trade, and is then influenced by Quaker friends to devote himself to a “life of philanthropy.” His cause becomes ending slavery and his initial platform is The Liberator. But Garrison’s impact extends far beyond the paper. He helps found the American Anti-Slavery Society; engages Fred Douglass as a spokesman; demands immediate emancipation and citizenship for all blacks; and perseveres through multiple threats to his life. His first edition ends with a stirring call:

“I am in earnest; I will not retreat a single inch and I WILL BE HEARD!”