Lincoln's Lost Speech (lost Abraham Lincoln speech; 1856): Difference between revisions
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|title=<center>Lincoln's Lost Speech</center> | |title=<center>Lincoln's Lost Speech</center> | ||
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|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> | |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span> | ||
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'''''Lincoln's Lost Speech''''' is the name given to a speech made by former | '''''Lincoln's Lost Speech''''' is the name given to a speech made by former United States president Abraham Lincoln at the Bloomington Convention in Bloomington, Illinois on May 29, 1856. This speech is significant as it helped to relaunch Abraham Lincoln's political career and give a boost to the abolitionist movement in the U.S. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
Abraham Lincoln had served in Illinois House of Representatives from 1834-1842 and in the | Abraham Lincoln had served in Illinois House of Representatives from 1834-1842 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847-1849 before losing his re-election bid. Slavery was still a hot issue in the U.S. in the 1850's. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether slavery would be legal in those territories, prompted Lincoln to return to a political career. In his 1854 ''Peoria speech'', Abraham Lincoln declared himself to be against slavery.<ref>[http://www.fampeople.com/cat-abraham-lincoln_5 An online biography about Lincoln] Retrieved 03 Mar '18</ref> | ||
==Speech== | ==Speech== | ||
On May 29, 1856, over 1,000 people met at Major's Hall in Bloomington, Illinois to formally establish the Illinois Republican Party. Many speeches were given but as the meeting progressed, there were cries for Abraham Lincoln to give a speech. Eventually at 5:30 PM, Lincoln gave a 90-minute speech. In the speech, Lincoln stressed the importance of a Republican victory to stop the expansion of slavery in Western | On May 29, 1856, over 1,000 people met at Major's Hall in Bloomington, Illinois to formally establish the Illinois Republican Party. Many speeches were given but as the meeting progressed, there were cries for Abraham Lincoln to give a speech. Eventually at 5:30 PM, Lincoln gave a 90-minute speech. In the speech, Lincoln stressed the importance of a Republican victory to stop the expansion of slavery in Western U.S. territories. Longtime friend and Lincoln's legal partner William Herndon attempted to write down the speech, but gave up after fifteen minutes and threw away the paper that contained part of it. Historians claim that reporters who were in attendance were in a transfixed state and forgot to write the speech down.<ref>[http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln63.html Abraham Lincoln research site on Lincoln's lost speech] Retrieved 03 Mar '18</ref> | ||
In 1896, an attorney and close friend to Lincoln, Henry Whitney published his version of the speech in the McClure Magazine. This garnered a lot of attention, but also faced skepticism about it being a faithful transcription. Among the skeptics was Abraham Lincoln's personal secretary, John Nicolay and Robert Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son). Henry Whitney's version of the speech was eventually debunked by Historian Paul M. Angle who cited a forty year gap between the speech in 1856 and the 1896 publication.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-happened-to-abraham-lincolns-missing-slavery-speech Daily Beast article that mentions Henry Whitney's version of Lincoln's speech] Retrieved 03 Mar '18</ref> | In 1896, an attorney and close friend to Lincoln, Henry Whitney published his version of the speech in the McClure Magazine. This garnered a lot of attention, but also faced skepticism about it being a faithful transcription. Among the skeptics was Abraham Lincoln's personal secretary, John Nicolay and Robert Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son). Henry Whitney's version of the speech was eventually debunked by Historian Paul M. Angle who cited a forty year gap between the speech in 1856 and the 1896 publication.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-happened-to-abraham-lincolns-missing-slavery-speech Daily Beast article that mentions Henry Whitney's version of Lincoln's speech] Retrieved 03 Mar '18</ref> | ||
Revision as of 21:34, 10 March 2018
A photo of former United States president Abraham Lincoln.
Status: Lost
Lincoln's Lost Speech is the name given to a speech made by former United States president Abraham Lincoln at the Bloomington Convention in Bloomington, Illinois on May 29, 1856. This speech is significant as it helped to relaunch Abraham Lincoln's political career and give a boost to the abolitionist movement in the U.S.
Background
Abraham Lincoln had served in Illinois House of Representatives from 1834-1842 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847-1849 before losing his re-election bid. Slavery was still a hot issue in the U.S. in the 1850's. The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether slavery would be legal in those territories, prompted Lincoln to return to a political career. In his 1854 Peoria speech, Abraham Lincoln declared himself to be against slavery.[1]
Speech
On May 29, 1856, over 1,000 people met at Major's Hall in Bloomington, Illinois to formally establish the Illinois Republican Party. Many speeches were given but as the meeting progressed, there were cries for Abraham Lincoln to give a speech. Eventually at 5:30 PM, Lincoln gave a 90-minute speech. In the speech, Lincoln stressed the importance of a Republican victory to stop the expansion of slavery in Western U.S. territories. Longtime friend and Lincoln's legal partner William Herndon attempted to write down the speech, but gave up after fifteen minutes and threw away the paper that contained part of it. Historians claim that reporters who were in attendance were in a transfixed state and forgot to write the speech down.[2] In 1896, an attorney and close friend to Lincoln, Henry Whitney published his version of the speech in the McClure Magazine. This garnered a lot of attention, but also faced skepticism about it being a faithful transcription. Among the skeptics was Abraham Lincoln's personal secretary, John Nicolay and Robert Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln's oldest son). Henry Whitney's version of the speech was eventually debunked by Historian Paul M. Angle who cited a forty year gap between the speech in 1856 and the 1896 publication.[3]
References
- ↑ An online biography about Lincoln Retrieved 03 Mar '18
- ↑ Abraham Lincoln research site on Lincoln's lost speech Retrieved 03 Mar '18
- ↑ Daily Beast article that mentions Henry Whitney's version of Lincoln's speech Retrieved 03 Mar '18