A Comparison Of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, And Frederick Douglass

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The Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, was one of the most tumultuous and deadly conflicts of our country. It transformed the face of the U.S.A. and brought many changes to society. Many people influenced the events of these years, but Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Frederick Douglass were the leaders with the greatest impact. Frederick Douglass, a former slave, was a prominent abolitionist and orator who advocated for African American rights, making him the third most influential figure. Even before the Civil War started, he gave great speeches against slavery. Many people who heard him speak had their views on bondage transformed by his mesmerizing words, booming voice, and icy stare. These talks, along with his autobiographies, fueled the anti-slavery movement and the support of the Emancipation Proclamation and …show more content…

Without Douglass to persuade the people, slavery might not have been abolished. Furthermore, the former slave convinced President Lincoln to allow African Americans to fight. As soon as Lincoln took office, Douglass pressured him over and over again on this matter. When the bill was finally passed in 1863, Douglass recruited black soldiers for the 54th Massachusetts, the first all-black regiment led by Robert Gould Shaw, and the other troops that followed when the idea proved successful. Later, after the Civil War ended and Lincoln had been assassinated in 1865, Frederick Douglass helped secure passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments which gave African Americans the rights of citizenship and voting. He knew that if the revisions weren’t made then, they would never occur. He also realized that once African Americans gained the right to vote, they would be able to put politicians who protected them and their interests into office. With this in mind,