Lincoln, Frémont, and the Battle Over Emancipation with John Bicknell | BRI Scholar Talks

In this episode of BRI Scholar Talks, author and historian John Bicknell joins host Tony Williams to explore the complex relationship between John C. Frémont and Abraham Lincoln and their differing approaches to slavery, emancipation, and presidential power.

Drawing from his book Lincoln’s Pathfinder: John C. Frémont and the Violent Election of 1856, Bicknell discusses Frémont’s controversial 1861 emancipation proclamation in Missouri, Lincoln’s revocation of the order, and how the president’s views evolved over time—ultimately echoing Frémont’s justification of military necessity in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.