Define: ab·o·li·tion [ab-uh-lish-uhn] –noun 1. The act of doing away with or the state of being done away with;

"Slaves were not free. Slaves could not benefit from the fruits of their own labor, were not guaranteed the right to participate in the domestic relations of marriage and parent-hood, and could not regulate their conduct to prepare the immortal soul for eternity. Slaves were, in short, denied their rights as children of God." (pg. 26-27 Streitmatter)


              

As I was reading chapter two in the book Mightier than the Sword entitled Abolition: Turning America's Conscience Against the Sins of Slavery,  I literally had to look up when the first ten Amendments were written because I forgot how contradictory it was to distribute a list a freedoms to only a selective number of people in this free country. In this chapter the author covers the story of several different people that voiced their opinions to the public during a time when slavery was legal and depicts their struggle with not only getting their messages to be heard, but also the endeavor to stay alive.




The first abolitionist described in the chapter, goes by the name of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. Lovejoy went through four different printing presses before they took his life; in essence, the pro slavery activists will go to any extent to stomp on these messages being spread. The worst part about all of this is the government allows it to happen simply by not prosecuting any of the murderers and what does this say about the civil liberties of Americans during this time? In my opinion, the government was instigating the death of anyone expressing their right to freedom of speech but, only selecting those with a certain opinion on slavery. Lovejoy died with no mercy trying to defend the freedom of press.

The next brave soul to step up to the plate was William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison wrote for called the Liberator, which was a paper sharing thoughts about slavery. Garrison wrote his articles with no remorse and no censorship and was soon known as a provocateur, which by definition is a person who deliberately behaves controversially in order to provoke strong reactions. To gain such a title was simply an act of asking for a three red rings painted along his forehead; however, this is what he wanted, to strike people with his words and if he passes away so be it because his words will leave an impact that will remain forever. His words were mocked, he was accused of having secret agents distributing his paper throughout America and not to mention there was a bounty for Garrison that reached a price of $20,000! So, the hunt for Garrison was on and although he felt the rope brushing against his neck and death tapping on his shoulder, his supporters saved him and the act of near death stroked his radicalism. He continued to write for the Liberator and continued with his outrageous acts such as, burning the Constitution, leaving with impressionable actions but more importantly carving words into everyone’s memory.



 Maria Stewart, yeap I said Maria, was my favorite to learn about as I  was reading this chapter and it is not because I am a female just like her but, because to have radicalism that is comparable to William Lloyd Garrison and being a girl not only takes courage but a large set of ... guts. She states in one of her articles "'Cast your eyes about, look as far as you can see; all is owned by the lordly white, except here and there a lowly dwelling which the man of color - midst deprivations, fraud, and opposition - has been scarce able to procure'" (pgs. 36-37 Streitmatter). She bashed America by accusing them of being fraudulent and mocked the white Americans by calling them lordly. The mockery is portrayed by putting them on a pedestal pointing out the fact that they view themselves as the gods of this nation and the black people plainly nothing more then dispensable objects. She was not only discriminated by the white folks but, her fellow black folk as well. They stated that her fiery discourse was inappropriate for a woman and they vandalized her home. According to the text she moved to New York and started a career as a teacher, founding her own school for African-American students.


Aside from the obvious fact that slavery was a horrible, gruesome part of history even the freed slaves were not allowed to voice their opinions. There was a time when you had to be fearful for your life even though you had rights that were protected by law. Imagine yourself writing about an issue that you feel so strongly about that you cannot help but inject venom into your words because the passion is there and it is your right to say what you feel and to publish it; now, imagine fearing that your life will be taken for your actions and the murderer goes home and enjoys dinner. These activists were doing no more than educating the people of our nation and allowing them to take a look through their eyes as to what is going on. Our rights have become so much more powerful throughout the years and not only should we practice them with ease but, remember to treasure them.



There are a number of other chapters that I could have chosen to write about such as the American Revolution, the movement of women’s rights or attacking the municipal corruption. All of those chapters would have been great but, I decided to start my blog off depicting what it could have been like to have such a strict restraint on the first amendment. They were hated by most and spoke out only if they had the right to but still had to worry that their life would be taken for their mere expressions. Also, considering that they couldn’t strike back the way white America can with weapons they used the power of their words which had a far greater impact then just killing one another because those words are still around today even though they themselves aren’t and it is those words that helped bring them to freedom. Today we write with ease and it is something that we can take for granted; for example, by silencing yourself. People died for their rights and died to make a better life for everyone today so that we can live in harmony so, express yourself and take advantage of this blessing in disguise.