Unlikely Collaborators: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and the Promise of America, Thursday, December 18, 2025 12:00PM

Item details

Date

Thursday, December 18, 2025 12:00PM

Name

Unlikely Collaborators: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and the Promise of America

Description

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln both had a vision that the United States should live up to its founding ideal of human equality, but they had different strategies for achieving that goal. In this lecture, Lincoln Prize–winning historian Jonathan W. White will discuss his latest book, Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln, to explore how Douglass went from being one of Lincoln’s fiercest critics to one of his greatest admirers. Using previously undiscovered letters and speeches that have not been seen for 160 years, White will describe how these two great leaders joined forces in the fight to end slavery and bring about racial equality.

Dr. Jonathan W. White is professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. He is the author or editor of twenty books and more than 100 articles, essays, and reviews about Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, slavery and emancipation, and the U.S. Constitution. His books include A House Built By Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House; Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln; Midnight in America: Darkness, Sleep, and Dreams during the Civil War; and Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln.
 

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Program Notes:

• Tickets are required for in-person attendance. Lecture ticket includes admission to VMHC galleries Tickets are not needed if you would prefer to join us live on YouTube or Facebook.
• Admission to this lecture is free for members.  Members, please login above to reserve your free tickets. Your free member tickets will be visible once the items are in your cart. If you are not currently a member and would like to join, please click here. 
• In-person attendees are invited to meet the speaker immediately following the lecture.
• Signed copies of the book will be available at ShopVirginiaHistory.org.

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