Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship (review)

It’s the evening of Lincoln’s second presidential inauguration, and, against his wife’s wishes, the commander-in-chief welcomes Frederick Douglass and his wife to the White House ball. A flashback traces the paths that led the two men to this meeting; in alternating scenes Giovanni compares their humble beginnings, their autodidactic struggles, and their dreams for an America cleansed of slavery. Then she shifts to a recap of the Civil War, from John Brown’s crushed rebellion at Harpers Ferry, to Fort Sumter, and on to the “grimness of war [that] hung over the festivities” of the inauguration. Finally, she replays a conversation between Lincoln and Douglass (no notes are provided to indicate whether the dialogue is quoted or reimagined), in which the pair discusses their faith in the future. This has curricular use written all over it, since the accessible format provides a useful entry point for the youngest historians. The organization and contextualization of this offering aren’t quite as smooth as one might wish for an audience that is unlikely to have studied the Civil War, though, and for whom the significance of the noted individuals hasn’t become completely clear. Collier’s mixed-media collage scenes are uneven affairs that span a stirring four-page foldout of a raging battle, a haunting image of two slaves symbolically seeking freedom through the parted stripes of an American flag that cages them in, and the singularly unattractive and inaccurate portrayal of craggy Lincoln and thick-maned Douglas as waxy-smooth skinned men with slick, glossy hair helmets. While this title offers little information about Lincoln and Douglass’ relationship beyond their mutual determination to end slavery, children will benefit from observing two revered individuals meet in a common cause. A timeline is appended.