Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were both great men who rose from poverty to become advocates for freedom and equality. Although their backgrounds are seemingly different and their meetings brief, their work to end slavery is undeniable. Lincoln, born in 1809 to poor farmers in Kentucky, moved to Illinois, earned a law degree and was elected to state and national-level office. Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland. After Douglass’s escape, he became an ardent abolitionist, publishing his autobiography and a weekly abolitionist newspaper entitled The North Star. These men met three separate times during Lincoln’s presidency to discuss issues such as the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. When Douglass was turned away from the White House on the day of Lincoln’s Second Inauguration, Lincoln called him back, saying, “There is no man in the country whose opinion I value more than yours.” This source set explores each man’s views and work to end slavery.
An 1879 photographic portrait of Frederick Douglass.
A photographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln, taken on October 11, 1858, two days before his sixth debate with Stephen Douglas.
An excerpt from the 1899 Charles Chesnutt biography of Frederick Douglass.
An excerpt from the 1847 Frederick Douglass speech given for the anniversary of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
The text of Frederick Douglass’s most famous speech, given in 1852, “What, to a slave, is the Fourth of July?”
A chapter describing Douglass’s early encounters with abolitionists, from his autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom, 1857.
An excerpt from a late nineteenth-century biography of Abraham Lincoln written by Noah Brooks.
The texts of two Lincoln speeches, one on the Dred Scott decision and the First Inaugural Address.
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued January 1, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln.
An 1888 reminiscence by Frederick Douglass about Abraham Lincoln.
The original document of the Joint Resolution proposing the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 1869.
Printed song lyrics to a song called “The Fifteenth Amendment,” circa 1870.
An 1876 speech given by Frederick Douglass at the unveiling of the Freedmen’s Monument in Lincoln Park, Washington, DC.
A photograph of Freedmen’s Statue, which was created by Thomas Ball, located in Lincoln Park in Washington, DC.
