Description

Holograph, signed.Title devised by cataloger.Most of this letter, beginning on page 2, is printed in the Liberator of March 10, 1832 (Vol. II, no. 10) under the heading, "Rev. Mr. May's Discourse."On verso, the letter is addressed to "Mr Wm Lloyd Garrison Ed of Liberator. Boston."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."

Record Contributed By

Boston Public Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Commonwealth