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148th out of 163 books
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All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery
by
Henry Mayer
Widely acknowledged as the definitive history of the era, Henry Mayer's National Book Award finalist biography of William Lloyd Garrison brings to life one of the most significant American abolitionists. Extensively researched and exquisitely nuanced, the political and social climate of Garrison's times and his achievements appear here in all their prophetic brilliance. Fi...more
Paperback, 707 pages
Published
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published February 22nd 1998)
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Reading National Book Award finalist "All on Fire," Henry Mayer's fine biography of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, makes me want to do something with my life. Find a cause. Agitate. Repeat.
Garrison's role in the abolition of slavery was a prominent one but, Mayer asserts, is underappreciated today. This mild, personable man from humble beginnings pledged himself to abolition at age 24, eventually editing his own antislavery newspaper, The Liberator, that he would pub...more
Garrison's role in the abolition of slavery was a prominent one but, Mayer asserts, is underappreciated today. This mild, personable man from humble beginnings pledged himself to abolition at age 24, eventually editing his own antislavery newspaper, The Liberator, that he would pub...more
Incredible. Do I love Garrison himself or is it this book that I love. The detail is tremendous so that you learn a great deal about the period. In many ways the history of Garrison is the history of the antislavery movement in America. So from 1830 to maybe 1850 the book is completely authoritative. As the movement grows and other major figures come into it like Wendell Phillips there are some things the books has too gloss over and you want even more. That there could be people more prin...more
This is a well-written biography about an important, underrated figure in US history. Garrison edited The Liberator for 30 years, spoke all over the country and in England, and agitated against slavery. He criticized the U.S. Constitution for protecting that evil institution; at one 4th of July event, he burned a copy of the Fugitive Slave Law and the Constitution. Garrison also supported the inclusion of women in anti-slavery meetings and their equal rights, including the right to vote. He ...more
I loved this masterful biography of Garrison.Good to see the great aboltionist get his due. The author,who btw,is from the SaN Francisco
Bay area. He stated that Lincoln and Garrison were the 2 greatest
Americans of the 19th century.After reading this book I agree!
PS Garrison put into action nonviolent protest 50 years before
Ghandi.
Bay area. He stated that Lincoln and Garrison were the 2 greatest
Americans of the 19th century.After reading this book I agree!
PS Garrison put into action nonviolent protest 50 years before
Ghandi.
Garrison was one of the true great American heroes. And this is a great biography of him. He was a pacifist and egalitarian who basically started the abolition movement in the early 1830's when the only anti-slavery people were re-colonialists (a movement he helped discredit) and a few scattered Quakers. While some Free-Soilers were somewhat racist and other anti-slavery leaders tried to keep woman from speaking out, Garrison stood firm on woman's rights and supporting full civil rights for n...more
Truly fascinating, both as a followup to reading "Days of Defiance" and to me as a Bostonian. It helped cement which type of crazy fanatics I like, even if this may be Mayer's illusion of a Garrison.
The vivid writing makes this history particularly exciting, not just the high drama of arson at Pennsylvania Hall, but *all* the political and ideological infighting. If you, like me, find abolitionism fascinating, though, I also recommend _The Liberator_, the beautiful biography of Garrison by my late advisor, Jack Thomas. One warning about _All on Fire_ for those who actually read citations: the format is the most annoying among all the options, I mean the one with no footnote numbers and no p...more
It's impossible to overstate Garrison's impact on American politics and culture. This book is a carefully researched, highly detailed of his life and his journey in abolition.
Craig J.
added it
All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery by Henry Mayer (2008)
Garrison dedicated his life to bringing about reform by forcing the American people to confront ethical dilemmas, primarily but not exclusively slavery, while shunning 'high' politics. After reading this book, I want to reread the Socratic dialogues with the benefit of the Garrisonian perspective.
May have been a zealot but a passionate and clear voice in a time of need.
Sam
marked it as to-read-backlog
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