Antebellum Period: John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was alive during the years December 17,1807 till September 7,1892. He was born into a Quaker family who owmed a farm in Massachussetts, but barely had enough money to survive. From a young age Whittier had become incompetent in laborous work due to his bad health and physical frailty.  It is suprising Whittier became a reknown American Quaker poet even one who is usually classified as a Fireside poet. Through hardwork he was able to pay off his tuition in Haverhill Academy in which he finished a high school education in just two terms. 

In the 1830 Whittier became inerested in politics and ran for the Congressional election of 1832; however, he lost the election which caused a breakdown forcing him to return back home. In 1833, Garrison persuaded Whittier to join his feverent cause towards the abolition of slavery; in which Whittier agreed to. There on for the next twenty years of his life he has ardently become an advocate for the abolition of slavery. Also in 1833, Whittier's chance in politics died with the publication of Justice and Expediency; lost support from merchants and farmers. Although his commitment ended his political life it ensuredhim to fight for what he thoight was morally correct and socially necessary. Whittier was a founding member of the American Anti-Slavery Society and signed the Anti-Slavery Declaration of 1883. As a poet ring this time period his poems dealt with the probems of slavery. During 1839 he went back into politics by founding the Liberty Party. In 1845, he wrote Blackman an anectdote  from John Fountain, a back man who helped free slaves.  This piece caused him to recieve  stress and insults from the public in which ended with a breakdown and his retirement of active participation in abolition. In 1865, his cause ended with the Thirteenth Amendment which ended slavery.

The primary source is called Justice and Expediency and it is written by John Greenleaf Whittier. The document was written in the United States in 1833. This pamphlet is Whittier's first work for the abolition of slavery. The audience is the public, who he is persuading to join his cause in the abolition of slavery. This document is writtien to show why slavery is unjust and why it should be abolished. The main idea is to abolish slaver in the U.S. The significance of the document is that a group of people is uniting a changing the normalcy of slavery. 

Primary Source (APPARTS+Q
Voices of Freedom

Justice and Expediency