"An outspoken abolitionist, a founder of the Free Soil and Republican parties, and a leading member of the U.S. Senate for more than twenty years, Charles Sumner (1811-1874) has always figured prominently in histories of the American Civil War. For the most part, however, he has been depicted as a psychologically troubled extremist, a fanatical opponent of slavery whose self-righteousness was matched only by his arrogance.".

"This book challenges that long-standing view, offering in its stead the portrait of a man animated more by principle than by impulse or ambition. According to the author, Sumner's reform-minded politics, including his fervent commitment to put an end to slavery, must be understood in the context of a young nation still struggling to live up to the Enlightenment ideals embraced by its founders and embodied in its Constitution.".

"Focusing on the first forty years of Sumner's life, before he took public office, the volume traces the evolution of his character and thought among Boston's cultural elite."--BOOK JACKET.