Getting it Wrong/Right

Don’t Judge a Book…

Have you ever heard of the phrase: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? This saying is a word of caution to not be too quick to form a judgement about something without knowing more about it. Has this every happened to you? Has there been a time when you did or said something you regretted or wished you had not done? It’s likely happened to all of us.

The 5 Pillars of Leadership can serve as a helpful guide through this reflection process.

When have you had this experience? Were you able to admit being wrong to yourself and others, accept those consequences, find a solution, and come to better understand others? If so, you are not alone. In fact, President Lincoln had a similar experience when he wrestled with what rights African Americans should have in this country.

An Influential Encounter: Lincoln Meets Douglass

In the previous module on Freedom, you explored several sources that either denied or granted different types of freedoms to African Americans in the United States. A critical freedom was the right to vote, but debates over citizenship for African Americans in the late 1800s also included their right to serve in combat duty and whether or not they could still live in the United States after the Civil War!

A very common idea amongst many white citizens, even in the Union states, was that African Americans should not have the right to vote, were not responsible or brave enough as soldiers to be given rifles to help fight to end slavery, or even important enough to be allowed to live in the United States after the Civil War. This last idea was called Colonization, and President Lincoln did support it as a way to “solve” the challenge of integrating former enslaved persons into a post-war society. He had agreed that the best solution was to require African Americans, most of whom had been born in the United States to be forced to move back to the African continent. He was wrong.

Historians mark August 10, 1863 as an important turning point in American history. Frederick Douglass met President Lincoln for the first time, and he arrived at the White House without an appointment. Douglass, a former enslaved person now living in the North, had a clear objective for this encounter. He wanted to protest the discrimination Black soldiers had faced in the Union Army. This meeting would not be their last encounter, and Douglass is credited for helping persuade Lincoln on many issues related to Black rights and citizenship.

Lincoln’s Evolving Views

Examine the following 6 sources to learn more about Abraham Lincoln’s changing views of Black citizenship. Many of these documents reveal the President’s views before and after his historical meeting with Frederick Douglass.

First, identify whether the issue the document presents is Lincoln’s views on African American’s right to vote, right to combat duty (i.e. right to be issued a rifle and fight in war), or right to stay in U.S. (i.e. not be forced to live or be colonized in Africa).

Douglass' Influence on Lincoln

Next, which issues did Douglass influence Lincoln on the most? Place these issues on the line below to make your claim.