There have been many important figures throughout history that have made major contributions. William Lloyd Garrison is one of the more notable. He was a famous journalist that was different from the norm. His main goal was to write in a way and about issues that brought real change. It is important for you to understand more about the journalistic career of Garrison and the accomplishments that he had during his lifetime. Here is a brief overview of some of the major accomplishments of Garrison:
1. Speaking Against Slavery
Many of those that were the most vocal about the need to end slavery were those that were directly affected by slavery. Garrison was a white male, so he was not a slave, but he still spoke up about the injustice in a big way. He was a person that felt no one should have their rights taken away and he believed that rights should not be based on skin color. He lived during a time when slavery was accepted by many, but he was one of the few that stood up for the rights of all and was against slavery from the beginning.
2. Purpose
Journalism has had many different forms throughout the years, but Garrison was one of the first journalists to give journalism a real purpose. He wrote on topics that he felt were important and those that needed to be highlighted. This means that his writing focused mainly on social issues that were most prominent at the time. there was no topic that was off limits and he was always looking to make people more informed and to shed light on topics that some people were not focused on. He never shied away from controversial topics and was not afraid to make his opinion known. He was one of the few that changed journalism and helped make it what it is today. Garrison wrote to make change happen.
3. Liberator
He was the editor at the abolitionist newspaper known as the Liberator. This is a newspaper that helped to bring about real change and help spur on the abolitionist movement. As a white male, he was in the minority when it came to being in support of the liberator and being an editor. He was one of the few journalists at the time that would take this stance on the abolitionist movement. He never let fear stop him in any way.