Means and Ends in American Abolitionism

The debate among those who sought to abolish slavery in America was a crucial one in the history of the nation, for it raised a great many questions we are still debating. Reading Ms. Kraditor’s study of the abolitionists’ thinking on the goals, strategy, and tactics of their cause, the modern reader can hardly escape seeing parallels with present-day politics and protest movements. Ms. Kraditor focuses on arguments over the role of women in the Anti-Slavery Society, over religion, and over political action. She sees a struggle between "respectability" and radical action which continues to reverberate. "From first to last this lucid, important book challenges preconceptions. Obviously Professor Kraditor intends to provoke critical reexamination of many points she raises, and in this she is brilliantly successful.... Her book is a fruitful exploration into the history of a great movement."—Harold M. Hyman, Book World. "Original, perceptive, provocative."—American Historical Review