subject: Wendell Phillips and the Abolitionist Movement [print this page] 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.
