THE REPUBLIC OF VIOLENCE

A new history of the 1830s anti-slavery movement and the unprecedented violence with which it was met.

Dickey focuses on several key abolitionist leaders, notably William Lloyd Garrison, easily the best-known figure of the movement’s early years. But as the author shows, Garrison was hardly alone. While he was a pioneering voice, he had a number of supporters and rivals for the leading role in the movement. Among them, silk merchants Lewis and Arthur Tappan “generously funded the movement as part of their social gospel of evangelical Christianity.” The brothers, write the author, “would go down in history as the money men behind the movement, but their role was much more pivotal.” James Forten, a Philadelphia sailmaker, and his daughters were among the most prominent Black abolitionists of the era. As Dickey’s title suggests, the movement had more than its share of opponents—not only Southerners who wanted to maintain the status quo, but also Northern business interests that had considerable stakes in their interactions with slaveholders as well as low-wage White workers who viewed African Americans as threats. Another major faction were colonizers, who supported returning ex-slaves to Africa, a program firmly opposed by Garrison and his allies. Dickey offers a well-documented history of how the abolition movement grew and changed over the years and of the race riots that swept Northern cities, including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The author also examines a recurring issue for the abolitionists: whether or not to defend themselves against the violence of their opponents. Garrison remained firmly committed to nonviolence despite a “near-lynching” in Boston in 1835. Interestingly, while many of the abolitionists based their beliefs on Christian doctrine, Garrison eventually came to distrust religion as an unreliable ally. Others, worn out by the epic struggle, retired in favor of younger abolition fighters such as Frederick Douglass.

A fascinating look at a slice of history that may be unfamiliar to many general readers.