The Radical And The Republican, By Frederick Douglas And Abraham Lincoln

The United States in the mid-19th century was as divided as ever. Conflict between anti- slavery North and pro-slavery South arose due to new states forming and whether slavery would be implemented into these new states. There was also division inside these two groups, more specifically, the Anti Slavery North. The Abolitionists were divided into two groups, the Radical Abolitionists, headlined by Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison, and the Anti-Slavery Republicans, headlined by Abraham Lincoln. The book, The Radical and the Republican, by James Oakes focuses on the impact that Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln had on each other through their different views which led to the abolition of slavery. Frederick Douglas was born a slave in Maryland, he later escaped to freedom and shortly after became one most vital abolitionist in the United States. Along with Douglas was William Lloyd Garrison, writer of the …show more content…
In the debate, Douglas states that blacks were inferior to white, Lincoln responded to these comments by saying, “there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the declaration of independence, the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” Lincoln believed that blacks should be entitled to all god given rights and that they were no different from whites. However, earlier in his statement, Lincoln reaffirmed his Anti-Slavery Republican stance by saying, “I have no purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe that I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” This angered Frederick Douglas as Douglas wanted Lincoln to push for the immediate emancipation of slavery. Douglas did not trust Lincoln as he believed that Lincoln was being overly influenced by white