January 1831

William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist newspaper The Liberator launched January 1, 1831 in Boston. In its first year, approximately 400 of 450 paid subscribers were Black Americans — free Black communities in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York financially sustained the paper before white abolitionists joined. Garrison credited Black support as essential: 'It is they who have sustained me in my labors.'

William Lloyd Garrison launched The Liberator on January 1, 1831, an abolitionist newspaper that became the most prominent anti-slavery publication in America, with Black Americans providing the majority of its early subscribers and financial backing. Figures like James Forten funded the paper and Black activists in Boston and Philadelphia made up around 75% of early subscriptions. The paper gave Black abolitionists a powerful platform and marked a new era of radical, uncompromising anti-slavery advocacy.

When William Lloyd Garrison launched The Liberator on January 1, 1831, Black Americans provided the majority of its early subscribers and financial support. James Forten of Philadelphia alone secured dozens of subscriptions. This patronage by Black communities sustained the paper's first years and demonstrated Black agency in shaping white abolitionist institutions.