"All on Fire"

Paper Summary:

This paper critically analyzes "All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery" by Henry Mayer. It shows how Mayer portrays Garrison as an" inspirational leader." The reviewer uses the work of Roger Hammel to strengthen the arguments of Mayer. Furthermore the reviewer gives a personal opinion on the book as part of the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"After reading the book, it is evident that the author Henry Mayer thinks of Garrison as an "inspirational leader" rather than an "isolated freak" and thought of his newspaper, Liberator, as "a rightful character of the story" than as a mere source for the emancipation-of-slavery movement (Mayer, 1998, preface). Mayer presents his positive views regarding Garrison's moral values and strong sense of justice in Martin Luther King Jr. words: "the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice." (Mayer, 1998, preface)

Mayer thought of Garrison as an "inspirational leader" as he mentions that it was because of Garrison's faith in the power of word and relentless effort to be heard that people from dissimilar groups came together to raise their voices against slavery. Fredrick Douglas statement provides an evidence of the Mayer's opinion of Garrison's work as a source of immense inspiration to all blacks, either free or chained in slavery "The paper became my meat and drink. My soul was set all on fire. Its sympathy for my brethren in bonds--its scathing denunciations of slaveholders--its faithful exposures of slavery--and its powerful attacks upon the upholders of the institution--sent a thrill of joy through my soul, such as I had never felt before!" (Abolitionism, 2002)"

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