The Radical and the Republican

One of the major issues Abraham Lincoln struggled with in regard to abolishing slavery was the role and power of the President to enact change unilaterally. Ultimately, and after much deliberation, Lincoln does issue the Emancipation Proclamation using his presidential powers. Do you feel that a President should act unilaterally to help solve societal problems, or is this a “slippery slope” that could lead to the Office of the President having too much potential power?

Although he lived briefly in England and even turned down English citizenship, Frederick Douglass often referred to being an alien in his own country. Still, he strove to become an American citizen. Why do you think that it was so important for Douglass to be seen an American reformer and not just a reformer in general?

In many places throughout The Republican and the Radical, Oakes cites how both Lincoln’s and the Republican’s opposition to slavery stemmed from an economic argument, namely that it deprived African-Americans of the fruits of their labor and not because they saw blacks as being the equals of whites. What is your opinion on this? Doesn’t being able to work equally with others imply equality?