Abstract

The Historian as Special Pleader

Reformer Wendell Phillips, speaking at Harvard University near the end of a life actively devoted to the welfare of his fellow men, remarked, "most men see facts, not with their eyes, but with their prejudices." Were he given the opportunity to read the opinions of contemporary historians about the movement of which he was so dynamic a part, which not only fought against slavery but also pioneering the struggle against racial segregation and discrimination, provided a model for the Freedom Riders of the day, he would undoubtedly be confirmed in his opinion. Three men may be taken as examples of such treatment: William Lloyd Garrison, Charles Sumner and John Brown. At the end of the Civil War all three were regarded as heroes of the anti-slavery movement. Today historians have reevaluated and reinterpreted their lives and deeds almost beyond recognition.