Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship (review)

Although the noted abolitionist and the sixteenth president met only three times, each claimed the other as friend. Here Freedman explores the similarities of philosophy and experience that softened the ground for the unlikely friendship, opening with a glimpse of Douglass' first trip to the White House, turning to compact but substantive biographies of each man, and then tracing the wartime pressures that made Douglass come calling on a man he doubted would prove a true ally to the anti-slavery cause. Freedman does not deviate an inch from his customary knack of selecting the precise details an adolescent reader will require to sort through complex issues and often conflicted personalities, and he incorporates them in smooth, effective storytelling. The actual meetings between Douglass and Lincoln, relatively long in coming within this text, happily arrive as a climax rather than a disappointing delay, and readers come away with a strong sense of just how remarkable a handshake could be between an ex-slave and a head of state. Period artwork and photographs are included, as well as source notes, a forthcoming index, and the text of "Dialogue Between a Master and Slave," a contemporary abolitionist piece that influenced both Douglass and Lincoln.