The Radical and the Republican

The Radical and the Republican is a nonfiction book written by James Oakes and published in 2007. While many nonfiction works are centered around a central thesis, hypothesis, or argument, The Radical and the Republican does not follow this pattern; instead, Oakes’s approach is one of compare-and-contrast. He sets up Abraham Lincoln (the Republican) and Frederick Douglass (the Radical) as foils, which allows him to move back and forth from the two historical figures as he examines their politics leanings, public speeches, and written works regarding the abolition of slavery both leading up to and during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Far from being an analysis of the records of Lincoln and Douglass, The Radical and the Republican is instead a presentation of two men and the beliefs they promulgated. Culling heavily from primary sources, Oakes allows the two men to speak for themselves. He does not moralize or offer his own position; rather, he acts almost as a moderator of a debate. By doing this, Oakes fades away and the heart of The Radical and the Republican rests entirely with Lincoln and Douglass and their encounters with not only each other but with their allies and enemies in politics and the public sphere.