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William Lloyd Garrison

The Vindication of William Lloyd Garrison

Caleb McDaniel, The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery: Garrisonian Abolitionists and Transatlantic Reform (Louisiana State University Press, 2013) 376 pages.Review by Benjamin E. ParkCaleb McDaniel’s thoughtful and provocative book is a reclamation project of sorts: it seeks to restore William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips as serious democratic thinkers and devotees to America’s democratic experiment. Even more, it aims to place their democratic thought within an Atlantic framework while still emphasizing their domestic commitments. A central argument found in the book is an attempt to restore Garrison’s love of the American nation. Yes, he burned the Constitution; Read more