Phillips, Wendell

Phillips, Wendell
born Nov. 29, 1811, Boston, Mass., U.S.
died Feb. 2, 1884, Boston

U.S. reformer and abolitionist.

A wealthy graduate of Harvard Law School, he sacrificed social status and a prospective political career in order to join the antislavery movement. His reputation as an inspirational orator was established with his address at an abolitionist meeting in 1837 to protest the murder of Elijah Lovejoy. He became an associate of William Lloyd Garrison and lectured widely at meetings of the American Anti-Slavery Society, serving as its president from 1865 to 1870. He also advocated prohibition, woman suffrage, prison reform, regulation of corporations, and labour reform.

Wendell Phillips

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

* * *

▪ American abolitionist
born November 29, 1811, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
died February 2, 1884, Boston
 abolitionist crusader whose oratorical eloquence helped fire the antislavery cause during the period leading up to the American Civil War.

      After opening a law office in Boston, Phillips, a wealthy Harvard Law School graduate, sacrificed social status and a prospective political career in order to join the antislavery movement. He became a close associate of the abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison (Garrison, William Lloyd) and began lecturing for antislavery societies, writing pamphlets and editorials for Garrison's The Liberator, and contributing financially to the abolition movement (abolitionism).

      Phillips's reputation as an orator was established at Faneuil Hall, Boston (December 8, 1837), at a meeting called to protest the murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy (Lovejoy, Elijah P.) at Alton, Illinois, the previous month. When Phillips spontaneously delivered a stirring and passionate denunciation of the mob action against the martyred editor, he was recognized as one of the most brilliant orators of his day.

      As a reform crusader, Phillips allied himself with Garrison in refusing to link abolition with political action; together they condemned the federal Constitution for its compromises over slavery and advocated national disunion rather than continued association with the slave states. During the Civil War (1861–65) he assailed President Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Abraham)'s reluctance to uproot slavery at once, and after the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1863) he threw his support to full civil liberties for freedmen. In 1865 he became president of the American Anti-Slavery Society after Garrison resigned.

      After the Civil War, Phillips also devoted himself to temperance, women's rights, universal suffrage, and the Greenback Party (Greenback movement) (a minor political movement). He was an unsuccessful Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate of the Labor Reform and Prohibition parties in 1870. He continued to lecture on the lyceum circuits until the 1880s.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Phillips,Wendell — Phillips, Wendell. 1811 1884. American abolitionist who served as president of the American Antislavery Society from 1865 to 1870. * * * …   Universalium

  • Phillips, Wendell — (29 nov. 1811, Boston, Mass., EE.UU.–2 feb. 1884, Boston). Reformador y abolicionista estadounidense. De familia acaudalada y egresado de la escuela de derecho de Harvard, sacrificó la categoría social y una carrera política en perspectiva para… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • PHILLIPS, WENDELL —    slavery abolitionist and emancipationist generally, born at Boston, U.S., and bred to the bar; was Garrison s aide de camp in the cause, and chief after his death (1811 1884) …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Phillips, Wendell — (29.XI.1811, Бостон, Массачусетс 2.II.1884, там же)  публицист, общественный деятель.    Родился в семье мэра Бостона, известного адвоката. После окончания юридического факультета Гарварда (1831) занялся адвокатской практикой. Ему прочили… …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Wendell Phillips (Politiker) — Wendell Phillips Wendell Phillips (* 29. November 1811 in Boston, Massachusetts; † 2. Februar 1884 ebenda) war ein US amerikanischer Abolitionist und Politiker. Wendell Phillips war neben William Lloyd Garrison einer der wichtigsten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wendell Phillips — Wendell Phillips. Wendell Phillips (Boston, 29 de noviembre de 1811 – 2 de febrero de 1884) fue un abogado estadounidense que defendió la causa del abolicionismo y a los indígenas norteamericanos. Miembro de la American Anti Slavery Society, fue… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Phillips — /fil ips/, n. 1. David Graham, 1867 1911, U.S. novelist. 2. Jayne Anne, born 1952, U.S. poet, short story writer, and novelist. 3. Stephen, 1868 1915, English poet and playwright. 4. Wendell, 1811 84, U.S. orator and reformer. * * * (as used in… …   Universalium

  • Wendell — /wen dl/, n. a male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Bontemps Arnaud Wendell Holmes Oliver Wendell Holmes Oliver Wendell Jr. Phillips Wendell Stanley Wendell Meredith Willkie Wendell Lewis * * * …   Universalium

  • Wendell — (as used in expressions) Bontemps, Arna(ud) (Wendell) Holmes, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr. Phillips, Wendell Stanley, Wendell Meredith Willkie, Wendell L(ewis) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Phillips — (as used in expressions) Feynman, Richard P(hillips) Huntington, Samuel P(hillips) Phillips, curva de Phillips, Irna Phillips, Wendell …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”