A relationship develops
Douglass met Lincoln as a critic pressing the claims of Black soldiers. By the inaugural reception, Lincoln publicly welcomed him as a friend and sought his opinion of the address.
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Speech
Photograph
BookStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryStoryPerson
PEOPLE WORTH GETTING TO KNOW
Abraham Lincoln
16th president of the United States
The stories collected here follow Lincoln through decisions and encounters: his response to Brown, colonization, emancipation, his meetings with Douglass, the fight for abolition, and the Second Inaugural.
The Lincoln–Douglass thread begins with disagreement and follows their development toward friendship and the understanding expressed in Douglass’s memorial oration. Other stories—Hooker, a blunt anecdote, and Lincoln’s distant reputation—open additional paths through the collection.
My take
The thread is about how Lincoln and Douglass were at odds and then their trajectories intertwined. Lincoln grew, and Douglass grew too. Douglass came to judge Lincoln by what a man could do in his time. The lesson is not the harshness; it is the harmony where they ended up.
1859–1876 · Washington, D.C.
How it unfolded.
Different responses to Brown
An early point of distance.
Explore the story →Colonization
A profound disagreement about the future.
Explore the story →The first meeting
Advocacy for Black soldiers brings Douglass to Lincoln.
Explore the story →Planning freedom together
Lincoln asks Douglass to help reach people still enslaved.
Explore the story →My friend Douglass
The inaugural reception.
Explore the story →The destination
Douglass’s retrospective tribute to his friend.
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A CLOSER LOOK
The story behind it.
The growth, words, and encounters that brought Lincoln and Douglass together.
Words and decisions together
The Second Inaugural sits beside the emancipation decisions and the constitutional struggle. The collection follows what Lincoln said alongside what he attempted and accomplished.
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Frederick Douglass · Life and Times (1881) (opens in a new tab)Source for Abraham Lincoln: Frederick Douglass · Life and Times (1881).
A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN
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Speech
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln · March 4, 1865
Slavery, responsibility, and reconciliation at the end of the Civil War.
Explore this work →FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
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Sources & credits
Introductions are grounded in the sources below. Collection notes and reading prompts provide an editorial starting point; personal opinions are identified in the collection’s content.
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Another way into the collection.
PersonFrederick Douglass
The relationship develops from profound disagreement toward friendship and the understanding expressed in Douglass’s memorial tribute.
START WITHFrederick Douglass’s autobiographies
HistoryCivil rightsLiterature
SpeechDouglass at the Freedmen’s Monument
The relationship develops from profound disagreement toward friendship and the understanding expressed in Douglass’s memorial tribute.
EXPLORE THIS WORKFrederick Douglass
HistoryCivil rightsWords
PhotographA young Roosevelt watches Lincoln’s funeral
The photograph records the procession after Lincoln’s death.
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History
BookTeam of Rivals
Goodwin’s book examines Lincoln through the rivals in his cabinet.
EXPLORE THIS WORKDoris Kearns Goodwin
HistoryLeadership
StoryLincoln responds to John Brown
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
StoryBrown and Lincoln: blood, judgment, and a question
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story1862: a profound distance
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story1863: a critic enters the White House
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story1864: planning freedom together
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
StoryThe decision, the cabinet, and emancipation
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story“Get those votes”: the fight for abolition
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story“Here comes my friend Douglass”
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
StoryThe speech that brought hope—and hatred
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story“I will risk the dictatorship”
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story“Too many pigs for the tits”
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
Story“Tell us of Lincoln”
A selected story in Abraham Lincoln’s part of the collection.
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HistoryFreedom
PersonFrederick Douglass
The relationship develops from profound disagreement toward friendship and the understanding expressed in Douglass’s memorial tribute.
START WITHFrederick Douglass’s autobiographies
HistoryCivil rightsLiterature