The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics

There is a perennial tension in any democracy between those who insist that there must be scrupulous respect for the law, and those who insist that at times a higher law must be followed. Philosophical and moral disagreements separate the two groups. But so does temperament.James Oates' The Radical and the Republican masterfully witnesses to the crucial role temperament plays in determining which side of the political and moral divide one lands in the higher law debate. Lincoln (the republican) was by nature a man inclined toward moderation, reason, patience, and unemotional analysis. Although always a loather of slavery, it took the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act to put slavery in the middle of his political radar screen. Even then, he insisted that slavery was implicitly guaranteed in the Constitution, and that, short of a constitutional amendment, the most a President or Congress could do was to geographically contain it. Lincoln, who eventually adopted a policy Oates calls "strategic racism"--refusing to speak against the race-baiting so popular in the U.S. in order to make his eventual decision to emancipate the slaves an easier pill to swallow--thought John Brown a madman.Douglass (the reformer--or better, perhaps, the rebel) had a much more phlegmatic tempermant: emotional, volatile, black-and-white thinking, quick judgments. Although aligned when young with the pacifist Garrisonians, Douglass was never much of a pacifist. But he imbibed the Garrisonian insistence that the Constitution and the government, through their complicity with slavery, were utterly corrupt, and that a higher moral law not only sanctioned but obliged disregard of them when it came to slavery. Douglass, who adopted a policy of black self-reliance which Oates calls "strategic separatism," thought John Brown a hero.The Civil War created an extraordinary environment, argues Oates, in which Lincoln the republican and Douglass the reformer began to converge. Lincoln dropped his idea of gradual and compensated emancipation by issuing the Emancipation Declaration and lobbying for the passage of the 13th Amendment. Douglass, under the influence of Gerrit Smith, came to see the Constitution as an anti-slavery document and politics as a legitimate method to reforming society. By the time Lincoln was murdered, Douglass had come to greatly admire the man who he mercilessly criticized through much of the war. And Lincoln went out of his way to refer publicly to "my friend" Douglass. Still, their basic temperaments remained quite different, and it's curious to reflect on what their relationship might've evolved into had Lincoln lived.Oates' discussion of the two men is fascinating, well-written, and well-documented. Strongly recommended not only for those interested in the Civil War but also for anyone interestd in the higher law debate.

The book gives you a feeling of being present during the unfolding of a critical period in American history.It provides insight into the political complications of the period leading up to the civil war and the period during the civil war.I believe it accomplishes its goal of allowing the reader to see the evolution of the thinking of two great American heroes regarding slavery and racism.

Several books study the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Brian Kilmeade’s The President and the Freedom Fighter was published more recently, but since I have not read Kilmeade’s treatment, I am unable to 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 majority of the book reports their personal history and views separately, as if they were on parallel tracks toward the same goals. Except the tracks were not parallel. Although you could not prove it by Lincoln’s utterances, I believe their slavery goals were the same, but the strategy and tactics were so wide apart that Douglass doubted that Lincoln was an ally in his cause.I think 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.” Abraham Lincoln“He was so in tune with the movement of public opinion that he could calibrate his own moves with astonishing skill.” James OatsFor 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. Partners who eventually became fast friends.

This is a marvelous book about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It provides an indepth portrayal of Lincoln and his thoughts about slavery and the Civil War as well as his high regard for Frederick Douglass, a former slave.. Despite what you may have heard, Lincoln hated slavery his entire life and the Civil War was fought to end slavery. Like Christ, in his assassination I think Abraham Lincoln was the blood sacrifice for the sins of a nation. He only survived the war by a few days (six) and was perhaps the last casualty. Highly recommended. Lincoln was an awesome President! In my opinion, Lincoln and Washington were the two most amazing Presidents this nation has been blessed with. I also regard Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King as among the Founders of this nation despite the fact that they came later. They reminded us of who we are and what we aspire to be as a nation as stated in the Declaration of Independence. We are forever indebted to these great men.

Good price on a good book. Needed this for my African American history I college class.

Every home should have this book!

I heard of this book from "The War that Forged a Nation", so I decided to read it. I had heard about the criticisms that Frederick Douglass had leveled against President Lincoln, but knew nothing of the details. I found the book well written, always on point, and enlightening. It filled a gap in one aspect of the Civil War era that I knew little about.

The book is very eye opening and shows how much of a change these two wanred

Very good Book for assessing Lincoln's character, not too long a read either, to the point and concise