Lucas Morel: Frederick Douglass’s Evolving View of Abraham Lincoln

On this special civics episode of Higher Ed Now, ACTA’s Michael Poliakoff hosts Washington & Lee University’s John K. Boardman, Jr. Professor of Politics, Lucas Morel. Professor Morel currently serves on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education. He has also co-edited the book “Measuring the Man: The Writings of Frederick Douglass on Abraham Lincoln,” a groundbreaking new volume on how abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s view of Abraham Lincoln evolved as America navigated its way through the Civil War and, eventually, to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Download a transcript of the podcast HERE.
Note: Please check any quotations against the audio recording. The views expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of ACTA.

Correction (April 2026): In this episode of Higher Ed Now, guest Lucas Morel recounts an anecdote drawn from Habits of Mind (2003) concerning an incident of racial discrimination involving the author’s father. While the story was relayed as it appears in the book (pp. 46–47), the account itself is not correct. After the book’s publication, the author was contacted by the family of the vessel’s owner referenced in the anecdote, who clarified that the business did not cease operation under the circumstances described but instead closed due to bankruptcy. The anecdote was originally presented in good faith based on information the author had received and had no reason to doubt at the time. Upon learning the correct account, the author committed to issuing a correction in the event of republication. This episode and its transcript constitute such a republication, and this notice fulfills that commitment in the interest of maintaining an accurate record.