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Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist who traveled the country speaking about his own experiences as a freed former slave, was furious at Lincoln, according to Bonner.

His solution? To convince Lincoln that he needed Black Americans to win the war, thus encouraging white Americans to view Black Americans as equals.

Douglass argued that Lincoln couldn’t win the war without abolishing slavery and that Black men were essential to the war effort, saying that men “who would be freed themselves must strike the blow.” His logic was that if Black men shed their blood to fight for their country, then they must be considered citizens. (The painting above depicts him urging Lincoln to let Black men fight for the Union Army.)

“Douglass is convinced they will prove they are citizens, that they’re deserving of rights, and that they’re deserving of legal equality,” Bonner adds.