Russel B. Nye

William Lloyd Garrison was one of the most controversial abolitionists of his day, and his legacy has become a topic of debate among modern historians. While many historians regard Garrison as an outspoken fanatic who overshadowed and alienated more moderate opponents of slavery, some historians have sought to rescue Garrison’s place in history. In his book William Lloyd Garrison and the Humanitarian Reformers, Michigan State University professor Russel B. Nye offered a more sympathetic description of Garrison. In the excerpt reprinted here, Nye acknowledges that Garrison’s uncompromising self-righteousness put him outside the mainstream abolitionist movement. However, Nye maintains that Garrison’s outspokenness did much to make slavery a topic of intense national debate.

William Lloyd] Garrison’s mind worked on two levels, the moral and...