The Abolitionist Imagination (The Alexis de Tocqueville Lectures on American Politics)
A brilliant, risky, provocative account of the changing historical reputation of abolitionists in America. Delbanco offers a timely take on just why this prototypical American reform movement never goes away as a template, as a useable past, as a story that can be appropriated by all ends of the political spectrum. (David Blight, author ofAmerican Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era)With his characteristic eloquence, Andrew Delbanco provides an interpretation of abolitionism, in history and literature, which challenges the received wisdom--and his four critics are up to the challenge. This splendid book demonstrates that the most successful radical movement in American history still retains its power to provoke and enlighten. (Michael Kazin, author ofAmerican Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation)The lucidity of the prose and the relevance of the topic to today's cultural divides may attract broader audiences. (Brendan DriscollBooklist2012-03-01)