Garrison and His "Declaration"
Garrison i ego "Provozglashenie"
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Introduction by Leo Tolstoy
Garrison, as a man enlightened by the light of Christianity, starting from the practical goal of fighting against slavery, very soon understood that the cause of slavery was not the accidental, temporary seizure by Southerners of several million Negroes, but the ancient and universal recognition—contrary to Christian teaching—of the right of some people to exercise violence over others. The pretext for recognizing this right has always been that evil which people considered possible to eradicate or diminish by brute force—that is, by evil itself. And understanding this, Garrison set forth against slavery not the sufferings of the slaves, not the cruelties of the owners, not the civil equality of men, but the eternal Christian law of non-resistance to evil by violence—non-resistance. Garrison understood what the most advanced fighters against slavery did not understand: that the only irrefutable argument against slavery was the denial of one person’s right over the freedom of another under any conditions whatsoever.
The abolitionists tried to prove that slavery was unlawful, unprofitable, cruel, corrupting of people, and so on; but defenders of slavery just as soundly proved the untimeliness, danger, and harmful consequences that might result from emancipation. And neither side could convince the other. But Garrison, understanding that the slavery of Negroes was only a particular case of universal violence, put forward a general principle that could not be disputed—namely, that no person under any pretext has the right to rule, that is, to use violence over his fellows. Garrison did not so much insist on the right of slaves to be free as he denied the right of any person or assembly of people to compel another person to do anything by force. For the struggle against slavery he put forward the principle of struggle against all the evil of the world.
The principle put forward by Garrison was irrefutable, but it touched upon and destroyed all the foundations of the established order, and therefore people who valued their position under the existing order became frightened at the proclamation and even more at the application of this principle to life. They tried to hush it up, to bypass it, hoping to achieve their goal without proclaiming and applying to life the principle of non-resistance to violence, which seemed to them to destroy all the good order of human life. And the consequence of this evasion from recognizing the illegality of violence was that fratricidal war which, deciding the question externally, introduced a new evil—hardly less than the former—through the corruption accompanying every war, into the life of the American people. The essence of the question remained unresolved, and the same question, only in a new form, now stands before the people of the United States. Then the question was how to free Negroes from the violence of slaveholders; now the question is how to free Negroes from the violence of all whites and whites from the violence of blacks.
And the resolution of this question in its new form will of course be accomplished not by lynching Negroes or by any clever and liberal measures of American politicians, but only by applying to life that same principle which half a century ago was proclaimed by Garrison.
Whether people want it or not, only in the name of this principle can people be freed from the enslavement and oppression of one another. Whether people want it or not, this principle lies at the foundation of all the true improvements that have been and are to be accomplished in the life of mankind. It seems to people that the application of the principle of non-resistance to life in all its fullness would at once destroy all the order of this life that cost so much or was established with such difficulty; but people forget that the principle of non-resistance is not a principle of violence but of harmony and love, and therefore cannot be made obligatory for people. This principle can only be freely accepted. And only to the extent that it is freely accepted by people and applied to life, only to that extent is true progress accomplished in the life of mankind.
Garrison was the first to proclaim this principle as a rule for the ordering of human life, and in this lies his great merit.
If he did not then achieve the peaceful liberation of the slaves in America, he pointed the way to the liberation of all people in general from the power of brute force.
—Leo Tolstoy
Declaration of Principles Adopted by Members of the Society Founded for the Establishment of Universal Peace Among Mankind
Boston, 1838
We do not recognize any human government. We recognize only one King and Lawgiver, only one Judge and Ruler over mankind. We recognize the whole world as our fatherland and all mankind as our fellow countrymen. We love our native land just as much as we love other countries. The interests and rights of our fellow citizens are not dearer to us than the interests and rights of all humanity. Therefore we do not allow that a feeling of patriotism could justify revenge for an insult or harm done to our people.
The position preached by the churches, that all states on earth are established and approved by God, and that all the powers existing in the United States, in Russia, in Turkey, correspond to the will of God, is as absurd as it is blasphemous. This position represents our Creator as a partial being who establishes and encourages evil. No one would dare assert that the powers existing in any country act toward their enemies in the spirit of the teaching and after the example of Christ. And therefore the activity of these powers cannot be pleasing to God, and therefore these powers could not have been established by God and must be overthrown—not by force but by the spiritual regeneration of people.
We recognize as un-Christian and unlawful not only wars themselves—both offensive and defensive—but all preparations for wars: the construction of any arsenals, fortifications, warships; we recognize as un-Christian and unlawful the existence of all standing armies, all military command, all monuments erected in honor of victories or fallen enemies, all trophies obtained on the field of battle, all celebrations of military exploits, all seizures accomplished by military force; we recognize as un-Christian and unlawful every government decree requiring military service from its subjects.
As a consequence of all this, we consider it impossible for ourselves not only to serve in the army but to occupy any positions that oblige us to compel people to act well under threat of prison or death. We therefore voluntarily exclude ourselves from all governmental institutions and renounce all politics, all earthly honors and offices.
Not considering ourselves entitled to occupy places in governmental institutions, we likewise do not consider ourselves entitled to elect others to these places.
We likewise do not consider ourselves entitled to go to law with people in order to force them to return what they have taken from us. We believe that we are obliged to give our coat also to him who has taken our shirt, but in no way to subject him to violence (Matt. 5:40).
We believe that the criminal law of the Old Testament—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—has been repealed by Jesus Christ, and that under the New Testament all His followers are taught forgiveness of enemies instead of revenge, in all cases without exception. To extort money by violence, to imprison, to exile, or to execute is obviously not the forgiveness of offenses but revenge.
The history of mankind is filled with evidence that physical violence does not contribute to moral regeneration and that the sinful inclinations of man can be suppressed only by love, that evil can be destroyed only by good, that one should not rely on the strength of the arm to protect oneself from evil, that true safety for people is found in goodness, long-suffering, and mercy, that only the meek shall inherit the earth and those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
And therefore, both in order to more surely secure the life, property, freedom, public tranquility, and private welfare of people, and in order to fulfill the will of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, we wholeheartedly accept the fundamental teaching of non-resistance to evil by evil, firmly believing that this teaching, answering all possible contingencies and expressing the will of God, must in the end triumph over all evil powers.
We do not preach revolutionary doctrine. The spirit of revolutionary doctrine is the spirit of revenge, violence, and murder. It does not fear God and does not respect the human person. But we desire to be filled with the spirit of Christ. Following our fundamental rule of non-resistance to evil by evil, we cannot make conspiracies, disturbances, or acts of violence. We submit to all laws and all demands of the government, except those that are contrary to the demands of the Gospel. Our resistance is limited to humble submission to the punishments to be imposed on us for disobedience.
Intending to endure without resistance all attacks directed against us, we on our part intend unceasingly to attack the evil of the world, wherever it may be, above or below, in the sphere of politics, administration, or religion, striving by all means possible to us toward the realization of the merging of earthly kingdoms into one kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. We consider it an unquestionable truth that all that is contrary to the Gospel and its spirit, and therefore subject to destruction, must be destroyed at once. And therefore, if we believe the prophecy that the time will come when swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, we must now, without postponing this to the future, do this to the extent of our strength.
Our task may bring upon us insults, injuries, suffering, and even death. Misunderstanding, false interpretation, and slander await us. A storm must rise against us. Pride and Pharisaism, ambition and cruelty, rulers and powers—all this may unite to destroy us. Thus they dealt with the Messiah, whom we strive to imitate to the extent of our strength. But these horrors do not frighten us. We hope not in men but in the Almighty Lord. If we have renounced human protection, what can support us but faith alone, which overcomes the world? We shall not be surprised at the trials to which we are subjected, but shall rejoice that we are deemed worthy to share the sufferings of Christ.
As a consequence of all this, we commit our souls to God, believing in what has been said: that he who leaves homes and brothers and sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or fields for Christ’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit eternal life.
And so, firmly believing, despite all that may arm itself against us, in the unquestionable triumph throughout the world of the principles expressed in this “Declaration,” we affix our signatures here, hoping in the reason and conscience of mankind, but most of all in the power of God, to whom we entrust ourselves.
Translator’s Notes:
- William Lloyd Garrison founded The Liberator (1831-1865), the most influential abolitionist newspaper in America. The Non-Resistance Society’s Declaration of 1838, translated here, was co-authored by Garrison and Adin Ballou.
- Tolstoy’s introduction was written specifically for this reading and reflects his mature view that Garrison’s pacifism was more significant than his abolitionism—representing the universal principle of Christian non-resistance.
- The reference to the “fratricidal war” is the American Civil War (1861-1865), which Tolstoy saw as a failure of the non-resistance principle. He believed slavery could have been abolished peacefully had Americans accepted Garrison’s pacifism.
- The allusion to contemporary racial violence (“lynching Negroes,” “the violence of all whites”) reflects conditions in America at the time Tolstoy wrote, during the Jim Crow era.
- The Declaration’s statement that “we do not recognize any human government” represents the anarchist element in Christian pacifism that Tolstoy later developed in his own writings, particularly The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894).