Wendell Phillips
| Wendell Phillips | |
|---|---|
A daguerrotype by Mathew Brady of Wendell Phillips in his forties
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| Born |
November 29, 1811 Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | February 2, 1884 (aged 72) Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Burial place | Granary Burying Ground |
| Alma mater |
Boston Latin School, Harvard University, Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Known for |
Abolitionism, advocacy for Native Americans |
| Parent(s) | Sarah Walley, John Phillips |
Wendell Phillips (November 29, 1811 – February 2, 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator, and attorney.
Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 29, 1811, to Sarah Walley and John Phillips, a wealthy lawyer, politician, and philanthropist, who was the first mayor of Boston. He was a descendant of a Phillips who came over from England in 1630.
Phillips was schooled at Boston Latin School, and graduated from Harvard University in 1831. He went on to attend Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1833. In 1834, Phillips was admitted to the Massachusetts state bar, and in the same year, he opened a law practice in Boston. His professor of oratory was Edward T. Channing, a critic of flowery speakers such as Daniel Webster. Channing emphasized the value of plain speaking, a philosophy which Phillips took to heart.
On October 21, 1835, the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society announced that George Thompson would be speaking. Pro-slavery forces posted nearly 500 notices of a $100 reward for the citizen that would first lay violent hands on him. Thompson canceled at the last minute, and William Lloyd Garrison, a newspaper writer who spoke openly against the wrongs of slavery, was quickly scheduled to speak in his place. A lynch mob formed, forcing Garrison to escape through the back of the hall and hide in a carpenter's shop. The mob soon found him, putting a noose around his neck to drag him away. Several strong men intervened and took him to the Leverett Street Jail. Phillips, watching from nearby Court Street, was a witness to the attempted lynching.
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