内容简介
FrederickDouglassandAbrahamLincolnwerethepreeminentself-mademenoftheirtime.Inthismasterfuldualbiography,award-winningHarvardUniversityscholarJohnStaufferdescribesthetransformationsinthelivesofthesetwogiantsduringamajorshiftinculturalhistory,whenmenrejectedthestatusquoandembracednewidealsofpersonalliberty.AsDouglassandLincolnreinventedthemselvesandultimatelybecamefriends,theytransformedAmerica.Lincolnwasborndirtpoor,hadlessthanoneyearofformalschooling,andbecamethenation'sgreatestpresident.Douglassspentthefirsttwentyyearsofhislifeasaslave,hadnoformalschooling-infact,hismastersforbadehimtoreadorwrite-andbecameoneofthenation'sgreatestwritersandactivists,aswellasaspellbindingoratorandmessengerofaudacioushope,thepioneerwhoblazedthepathtraveledbyfutureAfrican-Americanleaders.Atatimewhenmostwhiteswouldnotletablackmancrosstheirthreshold,LincolninvitedDouglassintotheWhiteHouse.LincolnrecognizedthatheneededDouglasstohelphimdestroytheConfederacyandpreservetheUnion;DouglassrealizedthatLincoln'sshrewdsenseofpublicopinionwouldservehisowngoaloffreeingthenation'sblacks.Theirrelationshipshiftedinresponsetothecountry'sdebateoverslavery,abolition,andemancipation.Bothwereambitiousmen.Theyhadgreatfaithinthemoralandtechnologicalprogressoftheirnation.Andtheywerenotalwaysconsistentintheirviews.JohnStaufferdescribestheirpersonalandpoliticalstruggleswithakeenunderstandingofthedilemmasDouglassandLincolnconfrontedandthesocialcontextinwhichtheyoccurred.WhatemergesisabrilliantportraitofhowtwoofAmerica'sgreatestleaderslived.