Negative Trend Quotes
Elijiah Lovejoy had been a newspaper publisher who was a strong abolitionist in a community – Alton, Illinois – that was very pro-slavery. Public opinion was outraged by the abolitionist writings in Lovejoy’s newspaper. When the mayor and other members of the public could not persuade Lovejoy to cease publication, they formed a mob and attacked his offices destroying the printing presses and killing Lovejoy. The Mayor and the law enforcement officials, not only did not stop the mob, but helped fire them up and impel them on their “downward course.” The potential conflict between public opinion and the rights of individuals or groups must be managed in a democracy lest it become a violent “tyranny of the majority” that is typical of many fascist states.
