The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America's Soul
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- Create Date：2021-12-27 17:21:13
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Brian Kilmeade
- ISBN：0593460235
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Summary
The
New York Times
bestselling author of
George Washington's Secret Six
and
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates
turns to two other heroes of the nation: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass。
In The President and the Freedom Fighter， Brian Kilmeade tells the little-known story of how two American heroes moved from strong disagreement to friendship， and in the process changed the entire course of history。
Abraham Lincoln was White， born impoverished on a frontier farm。 Frederick Douglass was Black， a child of slavery who had risked his life escaping to freedom in the North。 Neither man had a formal education， and neither had had an easy path to influence。 No one would have expected them to become friends--or to transform the country。 But Lincoln and Douglass believed in their nation's greatness。 They were determined to make the grand democratic experiment live up to its ideals。
Lincoln's problem: he knew it was time for slavery to go， but how fast could the country change without being torn apart？ And would it be possible to get rid of slavery while keeping America's Constitution intact？ Douglass said no， that the Constitution was irredeemably corrupted by slavery--and he wanted Lincoln to move quickly。 Sharing little more than the conviction that slavery was wrong， the two men's paths eventually converged。 Over the course of the Civil War， they'd endure bloodthirsty mobs， feverish conspiracies， devastating losses on the battlefield， and a growing firestorm of unrest that would culminate on the fields of Gettysburg。
As he did in George Washington's Secret Six， Kilmeade has transformed this nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out how these two heroes， through their principles and patience， not only changed each other， but made America truly free for all。
In The President and the Freedom Fighter， Brian Kilmeade tells the little-known story of how two American heroes moved from strong disagreement to friendship， and in the process changed the entire course of history。
Abraham Lincoln was White， born impoverished on a frontier farm。 Frederick Douglass was Black， a child of slavery who had risked his life escaping to freedom in the North。 Neither man had a formal education， and neither had had an easy path to influence。 No one would have expected them to become friends--or to transform the country。 But Lincoln and Douglass believed in their nation's greatness。 They were determined to make the grand democratic experiment live up to its ideals。
Lincoln's problem: he knew it was time for slavery to go， but how fast could the country change without being torn apart？ And would it be possible to get rid of slavery while keeping America's Constitution intact？ Douglass said no， that the Constitution was irredeemably corrupted by slavery--and he wanted Lincoln to move quickly。 Sharing little more than the conviction that slavery was wrong， the two men's paths eventually converged。 Over the course of the Civil War， they'd endure bloodthirsty mobs， feverish conspiracies， devastating losses on the battlefield， and a growing firestorm of unrest that would culminate on the fields of Gettysburg。
As he did in George Washington's Secret Six， Kilmeade has transformed this nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out how these two heroes， through their principles and patience， not only changed each other， but made America truly free for all。
Reviews
Howard A
，
Brian Kilmeade does an excellent job of interweaving the stories of Lincoln and Douglas。 He successfully provides their stories in a manner that is both turn paging entertaining。 I fully enjoyed the insight into the relationship they shared during one of the most difficult times in our countries history。 This is not only a well written， entertaining and informative work it is also a book I am sure to reference in the future for small intricate facts regarding these two heroes of history。
Paul Hart
，
The best of Kilmeade's pop history series thus far， this breezy read gives an overview of the lives of two of our country's greatest men。 Kilmeade tells their incredible stories in a highly readable and engaging way， and while this is not a scholarly or thorough work， I would nonetheless highly recommend it to anyone who has not read more extensively on either Lincoln or Douglass。 We as Americans owe much to both of them， and if you aren't familiar with why， this book is a great place to start d The best of Kilmeade's pop history series thus far， this breezy read gives an overview of the lives of two of our country's greatest men。 Kilmeade tells their incredible stories in a highly readable and engaging way， and while this is not a scholarly or thorough work， I would nonetheless highly recommend it to anyone who has not read more extensively on either Lincoln or Douglass。 We as Americans owe much to both of them， and if you aren't familiar with why， this book is a great place to start discovering their contributions to our nation。 。。。more
Hank
，
This is a simple history of the civil war as seen through the lenses of the lives of two pivotal figures of the era。If you’re already familiar with the era and the individuals， I don’t think there’s anything new here， but， if not this is a quick and clean window to learn a bit。
Jim Gahring
，
Really well done
Kirby Davis
，
One of Kilmeade's best。 A fantastic summation of our nation's deepest stains and darkest years， told with brevity， yet detailed and quite engaging。 While modern viewpoints shape his conclusions - always a danger when trying to sift through or judge past events - these interpretations do not cloud the central truths of history， which Kilmeade brings out quite effectively。 One of Kilmeade's best。 A fantastic summation of our nation's deepest stains and darkest years， told with brevity， yet detailed and quite engaging。 While modern viewpoints shape his conclusions - always a danger when trying to sift through or judge past events - these interpretations do not cloud the central truths of history， which Kilmeade brings out quite effectively。 。。。more
Northumberland
，
In The President and the Freedom Fighter， Brian Kilmeade tells the little-known story of how the two men moved from strong disagreement to friendship， uniting over their love for the Constitution and over their surprising commonalities。 Both came from destitution。 Both were self-educated and self-made men。 Both had fought hard for what they believed in。 And though Douglass had had the harder fight， one for his very freedom， the two men shared a belief that the American dream was for everyone。
Steve
，
Kilmeade provided a nice comparison between the lives and actions of Fredrick Douglas and A。 Lincoln。
Karen Fiandaca
，
Though knew most of the story still learned something new。。。love， History！
Hillary Erin
，
I didnt read this book nor do I intend to。 By this mans tweet alone really bothered me so Ima just leave this comment。Another book about history told by a white conservative man。 Instead， read a book from a different perspective in which is not taught because of white supremacy。 Read the 1619 Project。 That will give you the truth about how this country was founded and how white supremacy is embedded in every segment， in every vein of this country and how slavery shaped this nation into what it i I didnt read this book nor do I intend to。 By this mans tweet alone really bothered me so Ima just leave this comment。Another book about history told by a white conservative man。 Instead， read a book from a different perspective in which is not taught because of white supremacy。 Read the 1619 Project。 That will give you the truth about how this country was founded and how white supremacy is embedded in every segment， in every vein of this country and how slavery shaped this nation into what it is today。 。。。more
John
，
Brian Kilmeade always brings a unique and original perspective to his writings。 How many dozens of books are there about Lincoln？ Kilmeade manages to bring an interesting and thoughtful narrative to his presidency。 I met Mr。 Kilmeade at a lecture in a local bookstore。 He seems friendly， thoughtful， and without pretense。 Looking forward to his next book。
Fred
，
This is a honest account of Frederick Douglass， Abraham Lincoln。 The book examines their lives， relationship， evolution and struggle for the Union and Freedom。
Amanda
，
I felt this was lacking focus on Frederick Douglass。 There seemed to be an overabundance of Lincoln and basically the same retelling of Lincoln’s history that I can find in every other book。 I hoped to learn more about the relationship that Douglass and Lincoln had， which would have been infinitely more interesting。 This book basically glossed over the Lincoln-Douglass connection。 As an avid reader of books based on Lincoln， I felt that this was a missed opportunity to explore the Lincoln-Dougla I felt this was lacking focus on Frederick Douglass。 There seemed to be an overabundance of Lincoln and basically the same retelling of Lincoln’s history that I can find in every other book。 I hoped to learn more about the relationship that Douglass and Lincoln had， which would have been infinitely more interesting。 This book basically glossed over the Lincoln-Douglass connection。 As an avid reader of books based on Lincoln， I felt that this was a missed opportunity to explore the Lincoln-Douglass relationship in depth， and to touch on a part of history that most haven’t considered before。 。。。more
Robert Melnyk
，
Another good history book by Brian Kilmeade。 Kilmeade does a good job of discussing the growth of the relationship between Lincoln and Douglass， and their efforts to save the Union and end slavery。 Aside from the study of their relationship， the book offers a good discussion of the history of the country during the times leading up to， durning， and shortly after the Civil War。 If you are a fan of American History， Lincoln/Douglass， and/or the Civil War， this is a worthwhile read。
John Wells
，
This is a very good book。 It was especially good for me in that it helped me understand and appreciate Lincoln's evolution and growth which ultimately resulted with slavery being abolished。 This is a very good book。 It was especially good for me in that it helped me understand and appreciate Lincoln's evolution and growth which ultimately resulted with slavery being abolished。 。。。more
Robert Boyt Foster
，
A fully balanced storyThis book balances fact with narratives， along with a very satisfying fleshing out of character。 A great read。 Both informative and entertaining。
Richard Weaver
，
The pop/survey history of Lincoln， Douglass， Brown is very good。 Somewhat superficial but relatable to the general population… Especially those that are unfamiliar with this time period。 However， the central premise of the book， the connection between Lincoln Douglas， is really weak and unimpressive my opinion 。 However， I did enjoy his perspective on Lincolns changingchanging view on race。
Darlene Wernette
，
Well done！Well researched and well written。 One can feel the weight of the times on these two great figures minds。Recommended reading for history buffs。
Stephanie
，
This book was fantastic！ Filled in so many gaps， from what I learned in school…and created a full perspective of both Lincoln and Frederick Douglass。 Incredible read！
Jeanette
，
Taught me。 Having read books about both primes in this copy before， I was still more informed here to intersect and consequence。 Especially upon the John Brown events over time until his hanging occurred。So many Lincoln tomes！ Just my opinion but I do believe he was far more a pragmatist and also practical application savvy then most made him out to be。 Now and then。 Douglass， even into his aged periods is immensely interesting。 And also practical。 I disagree with posts claiming bias or relation Taught me。 Having read books about both primes in this copy before， I was still more informed here to intersect and consequence。 Especially upon the John Brown events over time until his hanging occurred。So many Lincoln tomes！ Just my opinion but I do believe he was far more a pragmatist and also practical application savvy then most made him out to be。 Now and then。 Douglass， even into his aged periods is immensely interesting。 And also practical。 I disagree with posts claiming bias or relationship slant。 You do not have to meet with individuals dozens of times to secure lasting bonds and affinities。 Especially upon this scale of visibility or celeb public status。 。。。more
J。L。 Askew
，
In this book Kilmeade set himself the difficult task of telling a story told many times over， trying to do so in a new and interesting way。 The number of books on Lincoln and the Civil War are legion and attempting another on the subject should not be taken lightly。There seems only a couple of ways for such a book to work。 One would be if the project were written in stunning and exquisite prose， a voice so original the story would look new。 The other would be to give the subject a new twist with In this book Kilmeade set himself the difficult task of telling a story told many times over， trying to do so in a new and interesting way。 The number of books on Lincoln and the Civil War are legion and attempting another on the subject should not be taken lightly。There seems only a couple of ways for such a book to work。 One would be if the project were written in stunning and exquisite prose， a voice so original the story would look new。 The other would be to give the subject a new twist with an attention-getting gimmick。Kilmeade chose the second tack， intertwining the stories of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in a joint “battle to save America’s soul。” The quote is the subtitle of the work， obviously figurative， a theme the author tries to fit to the facts， but in the end comes across as merely pretentious。 The allusion to religion is not unintentional。 The two main characters are portrayed almost as saints who “steered America through this moral crisis [Civil War]” and are credited with a shared “commitment to the Constitution”， together they would “help America live up to its values”， and again， they were “determined to make the grand democratic experiment live up to its values。” All this from the book flap and preamble。 You can see where this is going。The oft-told story of Lincoln is presented with comparison and contrast to that of Douglass， a lesser-known figure。 Born in slavery as Frederick Bailey and enduring the worst sufferings of bondage， he escaped， changed his name and went on to become a radical abolitionist。 Douglas is entirely sympathetic and like the other main character， a self-made man， but unlike Lincoln， he was not a power-driven politician。The book is structured in a series of alternating vignettes of Lincoln and Douglass， showing them progress on the national stage through the turmoil of Civil War toward their individual fates。 The narrative is interspersed with pivotal events leading up to the war such as the attack on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry。 The author describes raider John Brown in sympathetic terms although Douglass himself thought Brown a madman。 While a U。S。 marine and several civilians died in that attack， the assault is justified in the name of abolitionism。In what historians consider the war’s beginning， the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter， no one is killed， yet the author is one-sided explaining it。 This lack of balance appears throughout the book。 Early on， Kilmeade describes the Confederacy as an “illegal rebel conclave”， frequently claiming the South was in “rebellion” for leaving the Union， although before the war secession was considered a right by many states， north and south。Occasionally the author gives perspective， for example， citing Lincoln’s statement: “It is a war for a great national object and the Negro has nothing to do with it。” Such insights are rare in a book declaring the conflict “the war to abolish slavery”。 Indeed， this was the aim of the radical abolitionists who had called for the country’s destruction if this would end Black bondage。At first glance Lincoln’s quote appears contrary to the Emancipation Proclamation until the reader understands the edict was meant as a war measure to undermine the South， many hoping it would foment servile insurrection。 The claim the war was over slavery has been around since hostilities ended at Appomattox。 Many historians have refuted the argument and one of the best is the small book of lectures on the American Civil War by Italian academic Raimondo Luraghi。 Lecture three is a brilliant explanation for the causes of the war， arguing the South saw itself headed toward becoming a colony of the North and left the Union over principle。 Popular historian Thomas Fleming says something similar in his book “Disease of the Public Mind。” Fleming asks why the United States， among all slaveholding countries， went to war to end what other nations abolished peaceably。 America’s war had to have been about more than slavery。At worst， Kilmeade’s book is another iteration of the “it’s all about slavery” genre and at best it is an unbalanced account meshing the stories of two towering figures in the Civil War。 For readers new to the subject， Shelby Foote’s magisterial trilogy is highly recommended。 。。。more
Kerri
，
This is a very well written account of two great men in our Nation’s history。 Coming from two very different beginnings they each played an important part in saving the Unites States from itself。 Anyone interested in American history， and the Civil War specifically， would enjoy this book。 I am so glad my daughter gifted me this book for my birthday。
carol riels
，
Mr。 Kilmeade， did it again！Great read， could not put the book down。 Anyone who enjoys reading history will find there is so much more about Lincoln and Douglass ， their human side ， their struggles。 I liked the way the author showed how their lives were intertwined。 Most importantly how two strong individuals can come together and make it happen！ The big thing I took away from this book is our country needs to get back to basics， where our government works together。 I can only imagine where we w Mr。 Kilmeade， did it again！Great read， could not put the book down。 Anyone who enjoys reading history will find there is so much more about Lincoln and Douglass ， their human side ， their struggles。 I liked the way the author showed how their lives were intertwined。 Most importantly how two strong individuals can come together and make it happen！ The big thing I took away from this book is our country needs to get back to basics， where our government works together。 I can only imagine where we would be today！ 。。。more
Laura
，
If anyone wants an ebook copy， it's on: ebooklub。shop If anyone wants an ebook copy， it's on: ebooklub。shop 。。。more
Everydayreader1
，
"The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln， Frederick Douglass， and Their Battle to Save America's Soul" was an educational and enjoyable read。 I learned several things about each man I did not know before reading this book。 Both men were complex， and both evolved as people and their beliefs changed to become more inclusive。 It is good to have this record from a historical context， and I'm glad I took the time to read this book。 "The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln， Frederick Douglass， and Their Battle to Save America's Soul" was an educational and enjoyable read。 I learned several things about each man I did not know before reading this book。 Both men were complex， and both evolved as people and their beliefs changed to become more inclusive。 It is good to have this record from a historical context， and I'm glad I took the time to read this book。 。。。more
Angela Liebel
，
well written accountI really enjoyed Brian book about Frederick Douglass。 Learned much that I did not know。 I am going to get some of his books。
Robert Vincent
，
This book was well written and gave me insights on the title character’s relationship both political and personal。 They became friends in the progression of the slavery controversy and the scourge of the Civil War。 And that friendship development from skepticism on the part of Douglass and the reluctance on the part of Lincoln evolved into respect and appreciation on the part of both men。 This was an account of the sensitive interactions of duel biographical histories。Here are two quotes cited b This book was well written and gave me insights on the title character’s relationship both political and personal。 They became friends in the progression of the slavery controversy and the scourge of the Civil War。 And that friendship development from skepticism on the part of Douglass and the reluctance on the part of Lincoln evolved into respect and appreciation on the part of both men。 This was an account of the sensitive interactions of duel biographical histories。Here are two quotes cited by the author from each， Lincoln about Douglass and Douglass about Lincoln that headed each of two of the latter chapters:“（Douglass is） one of the most meritorious men in America”—Abraham Lincoln“The best man， truest patriot， and wisest statesman of his time and country… （Mr。 Lincoln’s） name should never be spoken but with reverence， gratitude， and affection”—Frederic DouglassThe book also gave a beautifully compressed history of the Civil War and the President’s and Freedom Fighter’s conduct during the conflict。 This was a great review for me as the battles and other events were succinctly described。Author， Brian Kilmeade summarizes the impact of these men in my estimation， in a single short paragraph of in the Epilogue:“The fault lines of the Civil War era threw Douglass and Lincoln together。 When needed the most， these two unlikely people appeared on the scene… each of them born with nothing。 They were underdogs who somehow rose to become national figures at a time of crisis。 Like other American saviors， Lincoln and Douglass would transcend their era， standing taller than their contemporaries。”And as for today: “By the end of the twentieth century， Lincoln came off his pedestal and Douglass rose from obscurity。 Today these two good men once again occupy a shared space in the ongoing story of the American experiment。”I recommend this read for all interested in American history， personal relationships that helped define America and for those just interested in a very good read about real people in an accurate context。 This book is to be commended for it’s truth as a well-researched writing。 。。。more
Porter Broyles
，
I don't know how another Kilmeade book ended up on my to be read list， but when it auto checked out from the library I listened to it。I'll be honest， I have never really enjoyed any of Kilmeade's books。 He has a knack of writing books with captivating titles， but the books leave me disappointed。Kilmeade is a Fox Opinion talking head。 With every book， I can't help but feel his political bias seeping into the book。 This bias was not as bad with this book as it has been with others， but it is still I don't know how another Kilmeade book ended up on my to be read list， but when it auto checked out from the library I listened to it。I'll be honest， I have never really enjoyed any of Kilmeade's books。 He has a knack of writing books with captivating titles， but the books leave me disappointed。Kilmeade is a Fox Opinion talking head。 With every book， I can't help but feel his political bias seeping into the book。 This bias was not as bad with this book as it has been with others， but it is still there。With every book， Kilmeade reads the book himself。 Listening to Kilmeade is exhausting。 The man seems to be on a caffeine high。Still， this was one of his better books。。。。 。。。more
Andrea Engle
，
This spectacular dual biography focuses on the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass … it describes in detail Lincoln’s evolving opinion of slavery and racism， and the causes and aims of the American Civil War … the sub-title says it all: “… Their Battle to Save America’s Soul。” … superb …Similar Works: by Brian Kilmeade （no photo） by James McBride by Jon Meacham This spectacular dual biography focuses on the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass … it describes in detail Lincoln’s evolving opinion of slavery and racism， and the causes and aims of the American Civil War … the sub-title says it all: “… Their Battle to Save America’s Soul。” … superb …Similar Works: by Brian Kilmeade （no photo） by James McBride by Jon Meacham 。。。more
Juliana Moore
，
Very good。 I learned a lot。
John
，