In the summer of 1863, Frederick Douglass has had enough. Moved in the wake of the Emancipation Proclamation to actively recruit colored troops into the Union Army, he has seen nothing but broken promises: unequal pay, no commissions, and--worst of all--no retaliation for the brutalization of black prisoners. All of which he blames on the “tardy, hesitating, vacillating policies” of Abraham Lincoln--who, far from being “the great emancipator”, seems to be merely another disappointing politician, ready to compromise at every turn. Unwilling to recruit a single black soldier more, but understanding that the future of African-Americans hangs in the balance, Douglass travels to Washington, to make one last attempt to have his grievances reconciled. First at the War Department and then--arriving without an invitation--at the White House...

Based on the two documented meetings between Lincoln and Douglass, “Necessary Sacrifices” looks at two leaders in a time of crisis--both of whom grapple with the problems of leadership in a democracy, problems compounded by war, race, and the politics of an election year. Who begin by misunderstanding pointed rhetoric as inflexibility, and abundant humor and a folksy style as weakness--and come to realize not just the truth about the other, but how much they need each other. Who must move beyond differences in position and personality if they are to keep the wounds of slavery and civil war from damaging their country for all time. And who, in the process, ultimately discover the basis for something neither expected: friendship.