What Role Did The 1847 North Star Newspaper's Shift From A Radical, Garrisonian Abolitionist Stance To A More Pragmatic, Political Abolitionism Influenced By The Free Soil Party Have On Frederick Douglass's Relationships With Other Prominent Abolitionists, Such As William Lloyd Garrison And Gerrit Smith, During The Tumultuous Period Leading Up To The Compromise Of 1850?

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The shift in Frederick Douglass's newspaper, The North Star, from a radical Garrisonian abolitionist stance to a more pragmatic, political approach influenced by the Free Soil Party significantly impacted his relationships with prominent abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Gerrit Smith during the period leading up to the Compromise of 1850.

  1. Relationship with William Lloyd Garrison:

    • Initial Alignment: Douglass and Garrison were initially close, sharing a radical abolitionist view advocating for immediate emancipation and rejecting the Constitution as pro-slavery.
    • Shift and Rift: Douglass's shift towards political abolitionism, particularly his embrace of the Constitution as a tool against slavery, created tension. Garrison, who remained committed to moral suasion and rejected political engagement, saw this as a betrayal. Their relationship became strained, reflecting deeper ideological differences between radical and political abolitionism.

  2. Relationship with Gerrit Smith:

    • Alignment with Political Abolitionism: Gerrit Smith, involved with the Liberty Party and later the Free Soil Party, supported using politics to end slavery. Douglass's shift towards this approach strengthened their relationship, as both advocated for pragmatic, political methods to combat slavery's expansion.

  3. Broader Context:

    • The period leading up to the Compromise of 1850 was marked by heightened tensions over slavery's expansion, particularly after the Mexican-American War. The Free Soil Party's rise influenced Douglass's strategic shift, aligning him with a broader movement focused on preventing slavery's spread through political means.
    • Douglass's evolving beliefs and experiences, recognizing the limitations of moral suasion, led him to embrace political action, further differentiating his approach from Garrison's.

In summary, Douglass's strategic shift in The North Star strained his relationship with Garrison due to differing abolitionist strategies but strengthened his alliance with Smith, highlighting the broader divisions within the abolitionist movement between radical and political approaches.