William E. Cain is professor of English at Wellesley College. His scholarly work is concentrated on nineteenth- and twentieth-century America, with a special focus on the literature and history of the Civil War period. His publications include The Crisis in Criticism (1984) and F. O. Mathiessen and the Politics of Criticism (1988) in addition to numerous essays on English and American literature, American and African American history, critical theory, and literary criticism.

Preface
    
PART I. INTRODUCTION: WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND THE FIGHT AGAINST SLAVERY
    
    "I Could Bring Them to Reason": Garrison in 1835 and 1863
    Beginning The Liberator
    From Colonization to "Immediate" Abolition
    Abolition, Politics, and Violent Means
    Slavery: The Historical Record
    Morality versus Politics: Strategies for Abolition
    Garrison's Punitive Style: The Language of Abolition
    Garrison, Douglass, and Racial Prejudice
    Endings: Garrison in 1865 and After
    

PART II. THE DOCUMENTS
    
    1. Address to the American Colonization Society, July 4, 1829
       Garrison describes the dangers of slavery to the nation.
    

    2. "To the Public," January 1, 1831
       Editorial in the first issue of The Liberator
    3. "Working Men," January 1, 1831
       Editorial on working-class struggles.
    4. "Truisms," January 8, 1831
       Garrison mocks the key tenets of the proslavery argument.
    5. "Walker's Appeal," January 8, 1831
       Editorial on David Walker's pamphlet "Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World."
    6. "Removal to Texas," January 22, 1831
       Editorial on a colonization scheme.
    7. "We Present Our Patrons . . .," April 23, 1831
       A new masthead for The Liberator.
    8. "The Insurrection," September 3, 1831
       Editorial on the Nat Turner rebellion.
    9. "Guilt of New-England," January 7, 1832
       Garrison demands that the North recognize its culpability in allowing slavery to continue.
    10. On the Constitution and the Union, December 29, 1832
       An early critique of the Constitution and the Union.
    11. "Declaration of the National Anti-Slavery Convention," December 14, 1833
       A manifesto setting out the aims of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
    12. The Progress of Antislavery, January 23, 1836
       From a letter to Samuel J. May.
    13. "Rights of Woman," January 12, 1838
       Report on a Boston Lyceum debate over the equality of the sexes.
    14. "Declaration of Sentiments Adopted by the Peace Convention," September 28, 1838
       A description of the philosophy of non-resistance.
    15. "Abolition at the Ballot-Box," June 28, 1839
       Garrison urges that voters first undergo a moral transformation before using political means to end slavery.
    

    16. On Frederick Douglass, July 1, 1842
       Garrison's impressions of the former slave's speech in Barnstable, Massachusetts.
    17. "Address to the Slaves of the United States," June 2, 1843
       A pledge of the abolitionists' dedication to antislavery.
    18. "The American Union," January 10, 1845
       Garrison advocates "disunion."
    19. "American Colorphobia," June 11, 1847
       Garrison responds to a racist article.
    20. Mob Attack on Douglass, August 20, 1847
       Description of the hostility Frederick Douglass encountered on a speaking tour in Pennsylvania.
    21. The Death of President Polk, June 22, 1849
    22. John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, and the Compromise of 1850, March 15, 1850
       An attack on two senators.
    

    23. Review of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, March 26, 1852
    24. Women's Rights, October 28, 1853
       Resolutions introduced by Garrison at the Fourth Annual National Women's Rights Convention.
    25. Uncle Tom's Cabin Reconsidered, December 23, 1853
       An open letter to Harriet Beecher Stowe.
    26. The Bible and Women's Rights, January 12, 1855
       Remarks by Garrison at the Fifth Annual National Women's Rights Convention.
    27. Disunion, June 15, 1855
       Garrison explains how "disunion" should take place.
    28. "The `Infidelity' of Abolitionism," December 21, 1855
       Editorial on the strong opposition to abolitionism from church and state.
    29. "Southern Degradation," September 19, 1856
       Garrison describes how the institution of slavery has corrupted the morality of the white population that supports it.
    30. Dred Scott and Disunion, March 12, 1858
       Garrison condems the Dred Scott decision.
    31. "Depravity of the American Press," September 17, 1858
       Editorial criticizing newspaper coverage of abolitionist activities.
    32. "The Tragedy of Harper's Ferry," October 28, 1859
       Editorial on John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry.
    33. John Brown and the Principle of Nonresistance, December 16, 1859
       Garr