“The Lincoln- Douglass Debates” Dinner & One Act Play

Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland, learned his letters surreptitiously, and wrote his own ticket to freedom at age 21, ultimately becoming the country’s leading advocate for abolition. Abraham Lincoln was also a self-educated man, hailing from the back-woods frontier, and made his name as an opponent of the westward expansion of slavery. When an unlikely turn of political events catapulted Lincoln to the Presidency, Douglass became extremely frustrated with what he observed as Lincoln’s glacial pace in addressing the issue of slavery in a country at war, and his public criticisms of Lincoln became sharp indeed. The two men met in person on 3 occasions between 1863 and 1865, and formed an unlikely friendship and inspiring example of how civil discourse can flourish across apparent divides. The play explores the originally fractious relationship between the two men as it develops over a two year period. The intellectual and personal chemistry between the actors, both strong believers in classic American values and civil discourse, and both great admirers of Douglass and Lincoln, fuel the intensity of this historical re-creation.