The Liberator (1831-1865) was an
abolitionist newspaper founded by
William Lloyd Garrison and
Isaac Knapp in 1831. Garrison co-published weekly issues of
The Liberator from
Boston continuously for 35 years, from January 1, 1831, to the final issue of December 29, 1865. Although its circulation was only about 3,000, and three-quarters of subscribers were
African Americans in 1834, the newspaper earned nationwide notoriety for its uncompromising advocacy of "immediate and complete emancipation of all
slaves" in the
United States. Garrison set the tone for the paper in his famous open letter
"To the Public"]in the first issue:
The Liberator faced harsh resistance from several state legislatures and local groups: for example,
North Carolina indicted Garrison for
felonious acts, and the Vigilance Association of
Columbia, South Carolina, offered a
reward of $1,500 ($25,957.20 in 2005
dollars) to those who identified distributors of the paper.