Sumner not only disagreed with Garrison’s conclusions about the Constitution, but he also believed such language only served to array conservatives, moderates, and the country in general against the antislavery movement, even as these groups were all potential allies essential to its success. Sumner grew increasingly uncomfortable with the tone of the language used in the Liberator. “It has seemed to me often vindictive, bitter, and unchristian,” he said. “I have been openly opposed to [its] doctrines on the Union and the Constitution.”
