Prompt
Based on both “Waiting for Mr. Lincoln” and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, write an essay explaining whether Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were effective leaders. Be sure to use information from both excerpts to develop your essay.
Your writing should:
Present and develop a central idea.
Provide evidence and/or details from the passage(s).
Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Source 1
Waiting for Mr. Lincoln
Russell Freedman
In “Waiting for Mr. Lincoln,” Frederick Douglass, an influential opponent of slavery, hopes to meet with Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States.
1 Heads turned when Frederick Douglass walked into the White House on the morning of August 10, 1863. It was still early, but the waiting area leading to Abraham Lincoln’s office was crowded with politicians, officials, patronage seekers, and citizens of all kinds seeking an audience with the president.
2 Douglass was the only black man among them. The others seemed surprised to see him, and some were none too pleased.
3 Lincoln tried to meet with as many callers as he possibly could each day. He said he enjoyed his “public opinion baths” and found them a useful way to find out what people were thinking. When first elected, he had refused to limit his visiting hours. “They do not want much,” he said of the throngs of citizens waiting to see him one day, “and they get very little. . . . I know how I would feel in their place.”
4 But the crowds became unmanageable. People showed up before breakfast and were still waiting to see him late at night. At times, even U.S. senators had to wait a week or more to speak with the president. As his work piled up, Lincoln realized that he had to restrict his visiting hours. He saw callers from ten o’clock in the morning till one in the afternoon. Priority was given to cabinet members and congressmen; if any time remained, ordinary citizens were admitted.
5 It wasn’t easy to see the president. Not everyone got in.
6 Douglass handed his calling card to a clerk and looked around for an empty chair. None was available, so he found a place to sit on the stairway leading to Lincoln’s office. The stairs were filled with other men hoping for a moment with the nation’s chief executive.
7 Douglass had no appointment. He had no idea how long he might have to wait, or even if he would be granted an interview. By meeting with the president, he hoped “to secure just and fair treatment” for the thousands of black troops who had enlisted in the Union army and were now fighting for the North in America’s Civil War.
8 When the war began, federal law prohibited blacks from serving in the army. But as the fighting continued, with mounting casualties and no decisive victories, the North finally allowed African Americans to enlist. Black soldiers fought with distinction, but they were paid only half as much as white soldiers and were not being promoted for outstanding service. Worse, black prisoners of war were being executed or enslaved by their Southern captors.
9 Douglass had come to Washington to “lay the complaints of my people before President Lincoln.” At forty-five, formally dressed for his visit, he was a commanding figure, taller than most men, with a powerful athlete’s build, graying hair, penetrating brown eyes, and a carefully trimmed beard. A former slave, he had escaped to freedom and become a famous author, newspaper editor, and abolitionist. He had spent his career as a free man demanding that slavery be abolished in America and equal rights extended to whites and blacks alike.
10 Douglass and Lincoln had never met, but they had some things in common. They had both risen from poverty and obscurity to international prominence. Both were self-educated. Lincoln, born dirt poor, had less than a year of formal schooling. Douglass, born a slave, wasn’t permitted to go to school. He taught himself to read and write in secret, hiding the few books he was able to get his hands on. And in fact the two men had read and studied some of the same books.
11 Even so, in the year 1863 it required plenty of “nerve,” as Douglass put it, for a black man to walk unannounced into the White House and request an audience with the president.
12 Millions of blacks were still enslaved on farms and plantations in the Confederate South. In the North, African Americans were free but were denied many rights. . . .
13 “The distance between the black man and the white American citizen was immeasurable,” Douglass later recalled. “I was an ex-slave, identified with a despised race, and yet I was to meet the most exalted person in this great republic. . . . I could not know what kind of reception would be accorded me. I might be told to go home and mind my business. . . . Or I might be refused an interview altogether.”
14 He was determined to wait.
Source 2
In this excerpt from Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Douglass describes his meeting with Abraham Lincoln.
1 I shall never forget my first interview with this great man. I was accompanied to the executive mansion and introduced to President Lincoln by Senator Pomeroy. The room in which he received visitors was the one now used by the President’s secretaries. I entered it with a moderate estimate of my own consequence, and yet there I was to talk with, and even to advise, the head man of a great nation. Happily for me, there was no vain pomp and ceremony about him. I was never more quickly or more completely put at ease in the presence of a great man than in that of Abraham Lincoln. He was seated, when I entered, in a low armchair with his feet extended on the floor, surrounded by a large number of documents and several busy secretaries. The room bore the marks of business, and the persons in it, the President included, appeared to be much over-worked and tired. Long lines of care were already deeply written on Mr. Lincoln’s brow, and his strong face, full of earnestness, lighted up as soon as my name was mentioned. As I approached and was introduced to him he arose and extended his hand, and bade me welcome. I at once felt myself in the presence of an honest man—one whom I could love, honor, and trust without reserve or doubt. Proceeding to tell him who I was and what I was doing, he promptly, but kindly, stopped me, saying: “I know who you are, Mr. Douglass; Mr. Seward has told me all about you. Sit down. I am glad to see you.” I then told him the object of my visit: that I was assisting to raise colored troops; that several months before I had been very successful in getting men to enlist, but that now it was not easy to induce the colored men to enter the service, because there was a feeling among them that the government did not, in several respects, deal fairly with them. Mr. Lincoln asked me to state particulars. I replied that there were three particulars which I wished to bring to his attention. First, that colored soldiers ought to receive the same wages as those paid to white soldiers. Second, that colored soldiers ought to receive the same protection when taken prisoners, and be exchanged as readily and on the same terms as any other prisoners, and if Jefferson Davis should shoot or hang colored soldiers in cold blood the United States Government should, without delay, retaliate in kind and degree upon Confederate prisoners in its hands. Third, when colored soldiers, seeking the “bubble reputation at the cannon’s mouth,” performed great and uncommon service on the battlefield, they should be rewarded by distinction and promotion precisely as white soldiers are rewarded for like services.
2 Mr. Lincoln listened with patience and silence to all I had to say. He was serious and even troubled by what I had said and by what he himself had evidently before thought upon the same points. He, by his silent listening not less than by his earnest reply to my words, impressed me with the solid gravity of his character.
3 He began by saying that the employment of colored troops at all was a great gain to the colored people; that the measure could not have been successfully adopted at the beginning of the war; that the wisdom of making colored men soldiers was still doubted; that their enlistment was a serious offense to popular prejudice; that they had larger motives for being soldiers than white men; that they ought to be willing to enter the service upon any condition; that the fact that they were not to receive the same pay as white soldiers seemed a necessary concession to smooth the way to their employment at all as soldiers, but that ultimately they would receive the same. On the second point, in respect to equal protection, he said the case was more difficult. Retaliation was a terrible remedy, and one which it was very difficult to apply; that, if once begun, there was no telling where it would end; that if he could get hold of the Confederate soldiers who had been guilty of treating colored soldiers as felons he could easily retaliate, but the thought of hanging men for a crime perpetrated by others was revolting to his feelings. He thought that the rebels themselves would stop such barbarous warfare; that less evil would be done if retaliation were not resorted to and that he had already received information that colored soldiers were being treated as prisoners of war. In all this I saw the tender heart of the man rather than the stern warrior and commander-in-chief of the American army and navy, and, while I could not agree with him, I could but respect his humane spirit.
4 On the third point he appeared to have less difficulty, though he did not absolutely commit himself. He simply said that he would sign any commission to colored soldiers whom his Secretary of War should commend to him. Though I was not entirely satisfied with his views, I was so well satisfied with the man and with the educating tendency of the conflict that I determined to go on with the recruiting.
In the passages "Waiting for Mr. Lincoln" and "Life and Times of Frederick Douglass," Frederick Douglass describes his meeting with President Abraham Lincoln and their conversation about the treatment of black soldiers during the Civil War. Both Douglass and Lincoln demonstrate effective leadership qualities in their meeting, as they engage in open and honest dialogue, showing empathy and a commitment to justice.
When Douglass walks into the White House, he is met with surprise and some disapproval from others present. Despite this, Lincoln prioritizes meeting with the citizens and seeking their opinions, even though the crowds have become unmanageable. This shows Lincoln's willingness to listen to the concerns and experiences of others, a key trait of effective leadership.
Douglass, on the other hand, shows determination and courage as he waits to meet with the President. As an advocate for the rights of black soldiers, Douglass seeks to secure fair treatment for them and address the issues they face, such as unequal pay and mistreatment as prisoners of war. This highlights Douglass' commitment to justice and equality, another important leadership quality.
When the two men finally meet, Lincoln immediately puts Douglass at ease and shows a genuine interest in his concerns. Lincoln's humility and willingness to listen are evident as he listens patiently to Douglass and takes his words seriously. Lincoln acknowledges the difficulties of the situation, expressing concern for the treatment of black soldiers as prisoners of war. His hesitancy to retaliate through violence demonstrates his compassionate nature and desire to resolve conflicts peacefully.
While Lincoln does not fully commit to all of Douglass' proposals, he assures Douglass that the issue of equal treatment for black soldiers is an important one and promises to sign any commission recommended by his Secretary of War. This decision shows Lincoln's ability to make compromises and work towards gradual change, which is often necessary in effective leadership.
In conclusion, both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln exemplify effective leadership in their meeting. Lincoln's willingness to listen and empathize with the concerns of others, as well as his commitment to justice and equality, demonstrate his effective leadership qualities. Douglass' determination, courage, and advocacy for the rights of black soldiers also showcase his effective leadership skills. Together, these two men contributed significantly to the fight against slavery and the advancement of civil rights, making them effective leaders in their own right.