In conclusion, Wendell Phillips is very representative of radicalism at its finest
. He was, as Hofstadter described him, an agitator and patrician. This description of Phillips is much more accurate and relevant than most historians' descriptions of Phillips as a closed minded extremist. Phillips also accurately represents the importance of radicalism in a democratic society. Phillips played a much more important part in history than he is credited for and was much more aware of his actions and shortcomings than historians formerly believed he had been.