George M. Fredrickson writes about how Lincoln agreed with Henry Clay’s ideas on slavery, and that Lincoln used a lot of Clay’s writings when speaking publicly. Clay was a clear abolitionist who worked hard to end slavery. “Clay was arguing that blacks are human beings, who have, in rudimentary form at least, the same basic desires and capabilities of whites”, (Fredrickson, p.42). It is evident that if Lincoln is agreeing with Henry Clay, he is also agreeing that blacks deserve the same rights as whites do, all human beings should be treated the same. Even after being elected to the presidency and the outbreak of the Civil War, Lincoln believed that slavery could be ended by a carefully organized program of gradual emancipation and colonization (Fredrickson, p.55).…