Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips (
29 November 1811 -
2 February 1884), born in
Boston, Massachusetts, was an
American abolitionist and
orator. After graduating from
Harvard in 1831, he went on to attend its law school from which he graduated in 1833. In 1834, Phillips was admited to the state bar, and in the same year, he opened a law practice in Boston. After being converted to the abolitionist cause by
William Lloyd Garrison in 1836, he stopped practicing law in order to fully dedicate himself to the movement. He joined the
American Anti-Slavery Society and frequently made speeches at its meetings. After the
15th Amendment was passed, Phillips concentrated on issues such as
women's rights,
universal suffrage, and
temperance.