Letter from Samuel Joseph May, Brooklyn, [Connecticut], to William Lloyd Garrison, 1832 Feb[ruary] 29

Samuel J. May writes to William Lloyd Garrison requesting a copy of an earlier Liberator as he "wish[es] to preserve a complete file." He then comments on some recent articles in the Liberator before discussing his "discourse" and how "some have strangely misunderstood" his meaning. May defends his statement, arguing that he was not advocating a civil war and claiming that "I would not have the nation plunge itself into one kind of wickedness, in order to escape from another." He then addresses the charge that abolitionists should "let things take their course" and counters that "the first step, in all public improvement, .. is to make the public feel there is need of improvement." He proposes that the end of slavery "may be found out, if we only search for it with our whole hearts." Before closing the letter, he also asks Garrison about the sale of his "discourses."

Courtesy of Boston Public Library

anti slavery collection boston public library rare books department abolitionists united states 19th century correspondence antislavery movements history religious aspects christianity social reformers garrison william lloyd 1805 1879 may samuel j samuel joseph 1797 1871 liberator boston mass 1831 letters correspondence manuscripts english samuel j samuel joseph may 1797 1871 samuel joseph may william lloyd garrison ultra high resolution high resolution

1832

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