In Washington, Frederick Douglass leads a delegation of African-American leaders to the White House

Frederick Douglass led a delegation of thirteen African-American leaders to the White House to discuss with President Andrew Johnson the course of the nation's reconstruction. While the group were received cordially and Douglass and the President engaged in some debate over the condition and prospects of the former slave population, Johnson refused to give way, especially on the enfranchisement of blacks, which he said would cause a war between the races. The delegation left disappointed and responded in the press.  (By John Osborne) 
Source Citation
"The Freedmen and the President: Visit of a Colored Delegation to the White House," Chicago Tribune, February 8, 1866, p. 1. 
How to Cite This Page: "In Washington, Frederick Douglass leads a delegation of African-American leaders to the White House," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/45142.