Question

in mid - 1863, after the emancipation proclamation had been announced, president lincoln invited frederick douglass to the white house to speak with him. douglass wrote about the meeting in 1881 in his autobiography life and times of frederick douglass.
president lincoln did me the honor to invite me to discuss the best way to perpetuate the slave insurrection in the rebel states to escape. lincoln was alarmed about the increasing opposition to the war in the north, and the mad cry against it being abolition war. lincoln worried that northerners who had opposed the war would force him to accept an early peace which would leave those who had not escaped in slavery.
i was impressed by this kind consideration because before he had said that his goal was to save the union, with or without slavery. what he said on this day showed me that he had a deeper moral conviction with the war against slavery than i had ever seen before in anything spoken or written by him. i listened with the deepest interest and profoundest satisfaction, and, at his suggestion, agreed to organize men who would go into the rebel states, and carry the news of emancipation, and urge the slaves to come within our boundaries...
i refer to this conversation because i think that, on mr. lincolns part, it is evidence that the proclamation, so far at least as he was concerned, was not passed merely as a
ecessity\.
what does frederick douglass say about lincoln and the emancipation proclamation?
why do you think abraham lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation when he did?

Explanation:

Frederick Douglass believed Lincoln's invitation to discuss slave - related matters showed a deeper moral conviction against slavery in relation to the Emancipation Proclamation. He thought it wasn't just a necessity for Lincoln. For the second question, historical context suggests Lincoln issued the Proclamation to weaken the Confederacy, shift the war's purpose to include ending slavery, and gain support from abolitionists and free - Black communities.

Answer:

1. Frederick Douglass said Lincoln's invitation to discuss how to encourage slaves to escape and his concern about the war and slavery showed a deeper moral conviction against slavery regarding the Emancipation Proclamation, and it was not just a necessity for Lincoln.
2. One possible reason is to weaken the Confederacy by depriving it of slave labor, change the nature of the war to include the moral issue of slavery, and gain support from abolitionist and free - Black groups.