In his book The Radical and the Republican, James Oakes compares and contrasts the positions of Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Oakes argues that while Douglas and Lincoln both opposed slavery, they used different tactics because their motivations were different. Lincoln focused on promoting national unity through the eradication of slavery (217), while Douglas focused on establishing freedom for blacks (223). Oakes strongly supports his thesis with examples of their divergent views on the relationship between slavery, equality, the Constitution, and Christianity. Although Oakes' book contains little personal commentary, his choice of structure congruently connects the Lincoln and Douglas narratives, allowing readers to clearly understand his point of view. Oakes initially argued that although Douglas and Lincoln both believed, "slavery was an affront to American values" (34) and that political action was necessary to end slavery, their motivations were initially different. Lincoln, not wanting to alienate either the North or the South, simply declared that slavery was wrong because it deprived "...men and women...of the hard-earned fruits of their own labor." » (58-61). While Douglas agreed with Lincoln that slavery "...thwarted progress and stifled individual initiative" (34), he was freer to further expand his arguments because of his position as a reformist, “…[slavery] contradicted the main principles of the Declaration. of Independence. This violated the sacred purpose of the constitution. This has defiled the precepts of a so-called Christian nation. »(34). Years later, Lincoln came to a very similar conclusion, but only afterward did this position fit his own motivations and was presented using his own tactics such as "strategic racism" and the compromise...... middle of paper .... ..researched and well written about the effect of Lincoln and Douglas on the current freedom of African Americans. In this book, Oakes strongly supported his thesis with examples of their divergent views on the relationship between slavery, equality, the Constitution, and Christianity. Although Oakes could have strengthened some of his arguments with less impartial evidence or developed them further, this book contributes to the study of history in that it gives readers an up-close and personal view of two of the men who had such a big impact in history. America. Oakes used this book to show how, although the motivations and tactics of Lincoln and Douglas differed, their view that slavery was unfavorable to American life (34) remained the same. Oake's congruent structure and reliance on personal narratives give readers, students and scholars, a new perspective on the lives of Lincoln and Douglas..