Several books study the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. I have not read Brian Kilmeade’s The President and the Freedom Fighter, so I cannot compare them.
The Radical and the Republican is a balanced view of a pair of critically important men in American history. Since Lincoln and Douglass did not meet until nearly two and a half years into Lincoln’s first administration, the book mostly reports their personal histories and views separately, as if they were on parallel tracks toward the same goals. Except that the tracks were not parallel. The strategy and tactics were so wide apart that Douglass doubted that Lincoln was an ally in his cause. Although you could not prove it by Lincoln’s utterances, their slavery goals were the same.
The following two quotes from the book succinctly summarize how Lincoln crafted his strategy. The first is from Lincoln, and the second is an assessment of his political talent by James Oates.
With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.
He was so in tune with the movement of public opinion that he could calibrate his own moves with astonishing skill.
For those with an interest in the history of American slavery, The Radical and the Republican tells the story of how these two men overcame the huge obstacles that stood in the way of emancipation. Even when they weren't in partnership, they were partners—united in pursuit of a common goal. Their alliance, forged through struggle, played a vital role in the triumph of antislavery politics and remains a testament to the power of conviction and collaboration.
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