The Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln

663 Pages·2012·3.07 MB·English

by  Lincoln Abraham

2000 Modern Library Paperback Edition
Copyright © 1940 by Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American
Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by
Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada
by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission
to reprint previously published material:
.: Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln by Benjamin P. Thomas. Copyright ©
ALFRED A. KNOPF, A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC
1952 by Benjamin P. Thomas. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House,
Inc.
.: Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln: The War Years by Carl Sandburg. Copyright 1939 by
HARCOURT, INC
Harcourt, Inc. and copyright renewed 1966 by Carl Sandburg. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
: Excerpt from Lincoln the President, Volume 2: Springfield to Gettysburg by J. G.
THE ESTATE OF J. G. RANDALL
Randall. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of J. G. Randall.
M L and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
ODERN IBRARY
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Lincoln, Abraham. 1809–1865.
The life and writings of Abraham Lincoln/edited, and with a biographical essay by Phillip Van Doren Stern;
with an introduction, “Lincoln and his writings,” by Allan Nevins.—2000 Modern Library ed.
p. cm.
Originally published: New York: Random House, C1940.
eISBN: 978-0-307-81681-8
1. United States—Politics and government—1861–1865. 2. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. 3. United
States—Politics and government–1845-1861. 4. Illinois—Politics and government—To 1865. I. Stern,
Philip Van Doren, 1900–. II. Nevins, Allan,
1890-1971. III. Title.
E457.92 1999
973.7’092—dc21 99-12661
Modern Library website address: www.modernlibrary.com
v3.1
A NOTE ON THE TEXT
A C S points out in the foreword to his Abraham Lincoln: The War
S ARL ANDBURG
Years, the total number of Lincoln’s words preserved for posterity is more than
one million—a figure greater than that of all the words in the Bible (including
the Apocrypha) or of Shakespeare’s complete works. Strangely enough, there is
no adequate complete edition of Lincoln’s works, nor is there likely to be until
after 1947, when certain papers deposited by his son Robert in the Library of
Congress will at last be made public. At present, the largest collection is the
Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by John G. Nicolay and John Hay
and published in 1905. This was issued in twelve volumes, and in 1905 could be
considered a reasonably complete edition. Since that time much new Lincoln
material has been discovered. In 1917, Gilbert A. Tracy edited the Uncollected
Letters of Abraham Lincoln; in 1927, the Lincoln Letters at Brown was issued by
Brown University; in 1930, Paul M. Angle’s New Letters and Papers of Lincoln
was published; in 1931, Emanuel Hertz, in the second volume of his Abraham
Lincoln: A New Portrait, brought out still more new material.
All these sources have been carefully examined in compiling the present
edition. This volume, of course, does not pretend to completeness, but it is the
largest single-volume collection of Lincoln’s writings ever published. The
principle of selection used has been to include all those items which are of
biographical interest or of historical importance. In order to bring within the
covers of one volume a large and representative selection of Lincoln’s writings,
it has been necessary to print excerpts from some of the longer pieces. When
deletions have been made, they have been frankly indicated either by asterisks or
by ellipsis points. For the general reader these excisions should not be serious,
for the material omitted has been left out because it is relatively unimportant,
dull, repetitious, of ephemeral interest or because it pertains only to Lincoln’s
legal or business life.
A survey of Lincoln’s life has been included in order to give the background
needed to understand the full import of his writings. This biographical section is
closely integrated with the Lincoln text and with the notes to the text. For quick
reference, an extensive chronology is appended to this section so the reader can
see at a glance the salient events of Lincoln’s life and of the history of his time.
In compiling a volume of this kind, the author has had to call upon the
services of many people to whom he gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness.
In particular, however, he would like to mention the name of Mr. Paul M. Angle,
Librarian of the Illinois State Historical Library, whose reputation as a Lincoln
scholar is too great to need any comment here. He has been endlessly patient in
answering questions and in giving advice. The invaluable day-by-day record of
Lincoln’s life from 1847 to 1861, edited by him and by Mr. Benjamin P.
Thomas, has served not only as the basis for the chronology in this volume, but
also as an authoritative guide to check the disputed dating of some of Lincoln’s
letters and speeches. Mr. Angle has kindly supplied a photo-static copy of the
significant Kalamazoo speech of August 27, 1856, which has never before been
printed in any collection of Lincoln’s works.
P V D S
HILIP AN OREN TERN
Brooklyn, New York
December 24, 1939
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
A Note on the Text
“Lincoln in His Writings” by Allan Nevins
The Life of Abraham Lincoln
Chronology
Address to the People of Sangamon County, Illinois, March 9, 1832
Announcement of Political Views, June 13, 1836
Letter to Robert Allen, June 21, 1836
Letter to Miss Mary Owens, December 13, 1836
Letter to Miss Mary Owens, May 7, 1837
Letter to Miss Mary Owens, August 16, 1837
Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, January 27, 1838
Letter to Mrs. O. H. Browning, April 1, 1838
Letter to John T. Stuart, March 1, 1840
Letter to W. G. Anderson, October 31, 1840
Letter to John T. Stuart, January 20, 1841
Letter to John T. Stuart, January 23, 1841
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, June 19, 1841
Letter to Miss Mary Speed, September 27, 1841
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, January [3?], 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, February 3, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, February 13, 1842
From an Address to the Springfield Washingtonian Temperance Society,
February 22, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, February 25, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, February 25, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, March 27, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, July 4, 1842
Letter to James Shields, September 17, 1842
Memorandum of Instructions to E. H. Merryman, Lincoln’s Second in the
Lincoln-Shields Duel, September 19, 1842
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, October [4?], 1842
Letter to Samuel D. Marshall, November 11, 1842
Letter to Richard S. Thomas, February 14, 1843
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, March 24, 1843
Letter to Martin M. Morris, March 26, 1843
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, May 18, 1843
From a Letter to Rowland, Smith & Co., April 24, 1844
Letter to Williamson Durley, October 3, 1845
Letter to Andrew Johnston, April 18, 1846
Letter to Andrew Johnston, September 6, 1846
“The Bear Hunt” (1846)
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, October 22, 1846
Letter to Andrew Johnston, February 25, 1847
From Notes for a Tariff Discussion, December 1, 1847 [?]
Resolutions in the United States House of Representatives, December 22,
1847
Letter to William H. Herndon, January 8, 1848
From a Speech in the United States House of Representatives on the
Mexican War, January 12, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, February 1, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, February 2, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, February 15, 1848
Letter to David Lincoln, March 24, 1848
Letter to David Lincoln, April 2, 1848
Letter to Mary Lincoln, April 16, 1848
Letter to Mary Lincoln, June 12, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, June 22, 1848
Letter to Mary Lincoln, July 2, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, July 10, 1848
Letter to William H. Herndon, July 11, 1848
From a Speech in the House of Representatives, July 27, 1848
Letter to Thomas Lincoln, December 24, 1848
Letter to John D. Johnston, December 24, 1848
Letter to C. U. Schlater, January 5, 1849
Application for a Patent, May 22, 1849 [?]
Letter to J. M. Clayton, Secretary of State, July 28, 1849
Letter to J. M. Clayton, September 27, 1849
Letter to John D. Johnston, February 23, 1850
Notes for a Law Lecture, July 1, 1850 [?]
Letter to John D. Johnston, January 12, 1851
Two Letters to John D. Johnston, November 4, 25, 1851
Resolutions in Behalf of Hungarian Freedom, January 9, 1852
Letter to Jesse Lincoln, April 1, 1854
Speech at Peoria, Illinois, in Reply to Senator Douglas, October 16, 1854
Letter to E. B. Washburne, February 9, 1855
Letter to Owen Lovejoy, August 11, 1855
Letter to George Robertson, August 15, 1855
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, August 24, 1855
Letter to Isham Reavis, November 5, 1855
Letter to George P. Floyd, February 21, 1856
Letter to Lyman Trumbull, June 7, 1856
From a Speech Made at Galena, Illinois, During the Frémont Campaign,
July 23, 1856
Speech at Kalamazoo, Michigan, August 27, 1856
From a Speech on Sectionalism, October [2?], 1856
From a Speech at a Republican Banquet, Chicago, December 10, 1856
From a Speech in Springfield, Illinois, June 26, 1857
Letter to Hannah Armstrong, September, 1857
Speech Delivered at Springfield, Illinois, at the Republican State
Convention which had made Lincoln its Candidate for United States
Senator, June 16, 1858
Letter to John L. Scripps, June 23, 1858
From a Speech at Chicago, July 10, 1858
From a Speech at Springfield, Illinois, July 17, 1858
Letter to Stephen A. Douglas, July 24, 1858
Letter to Stephen A. Douglas, July 29, 1858
Letter to Stephen A. Douglas, July 31, 1858
Letter to Henry Asbury, July 31, 1858
From Lincoln’s Reply in the First Joint Debate at Ottawa, Illinois, August
21, 1858
From Lincoln’s Opening Speech at the Second Joint Debate at Freeport,
Illinois, August 27, 1858
From Lincoln’s Rejoinder in the Second Joint Debate at Freeport, Illinois,
August 27, 1858
From a Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois, September 11, 1858
From Lincoln’s Reply in the Third Joint Debate at Jonesboro, Illinois,
September 15, 1858
From Lincoln’s Opening Speech at the Fourth Joint Debate at Charleston,
Illinois, September 18, 1858
From Lincoln’s Rejoinder in the Fourth Joint Debate at Charleston, Illinois,
September 18, 1858
Notes for Speeches, about October 1, 1858
From Lincoln’s Reply in the Fifth Joint Debate at Galesburg, Illinois,
October 7, 1858
From Lincoln’s Opening Speech at the Sixth Joint Debate at Quincy,
Illinois, October 13, 1858
From Lincoln’s Reply in the Seventh and Last Joint Debate at Alton,
Illinois, October 15, 1858
Letter to Edward Lusk, October 30, 1858
Conclusion of a Speech at Springfield, Illinois, October 30, 1858
Letter to N. B. Judd, November 16, 1858
Letter to Henry Asbury, November 19, 1858
From a Letter to A. G. Henry, November 19, 1858
Letter to Dr. B. Clarke Lundy, November 26, 1858
Letter to Alexander Sympson, December 12, 1858
Letter to Thomas J. Pickett, March 5, 1859
Letter to H. L. Pierce and Others, April 6, 1859
Letter to Salmon Portland Chase, June 9, 1859
Letter to Salmon Portland Chase, June 20, 1859
From a Speech at Columbus, Ohio, September 16, 1859
From a Speech at Cincinnati, September 17, 1859
From an Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 30, 1859
Letter to J. W. Fell, December 20, 1859
Letter to A. Jonas, February 4, 1860
Address at Cooper Institute, New York, February 27, 1860
From a Speech at New Haven, Connecticut, March 6, 1860
From a Letter to Mark W. Delahay, March 16, 1860
Letter to E. Stafford, March 17, 1860
Letter to Samuel Galloway, March 24, 1860
Letter to C. F. McNeil, April 6, 1860
Reply to the Committee Sent to Notify Lincoln of his Nomination for
President, May 21, 1860
Letter to George Ashmun and the Republican National Convention, May
23, 1860
Letter to Samuel Haycraft, May 28, 1860
Autobiographical Sketch Written for Use in Preparing a Campaign
Biography, about June 1, 1860
Letter to F. A. Wood, June 1, 1860
Letter to Samuel Haycraft, June 4, 1860
Letter to Samuel Galloway, June 19, 1860
Letter to A. G. Henry, July 4, 1860
Letter to Hannibal Hamlin, July 18, 1860
Letter to A. Jonas, July 21, 1860
Letter to Samuel Haycraft, August 16, 1860
Letter to Samuel Haycraft, August 23, 1860
Letter to John Hanks, August 24, 1860
Letter to Anson G. Chester, September 5, 1860
Letter to Nathaniel Grigsby, September 20, 1860
Letter to Mrs. M. J. Green, September 22, 1860
Letter to Miss Grace Bedell, October 19, 1860
Letter to Major David Hunter, October 26, 1860
Letter to George D. Prentice, October 29, 1860
Letter to Hannibal Hamlin, November 8, 1860
Letter to Truman Smith, November 10, 1860
Letter to Joshua F. Speed, November 19, 1860
Letters to W. H. Seward, December 8, 1860
Letter to Lyman Trumbull, December 10, 1860
Letter to E. B. Washburne, December 13, 1860
Letter to John A. Gilmer, December 15, 1860
Letter to Thurlow Weed, December 17, 1860
Letter to Lyman Trumbull, December 21, 1860
Letter to Alexander H. Stephens, December 22, 1860
Letter to General Duff Green, December 28, 1860
Letter to W. H. Seward, January 3, 1861
Letter to J. T. Hale, January 11, 1861
From a Letter to W. H. Seward, February 1, 1861
Farewell Address at Springfield, Illinois, February 11, 1861
From an Address to the Germans at Cincinnati, Ohio, February 12, 1861
From an Address at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1861
From an Address at Cleveland, Ohio, February 15, 1861
Address at Hudson, New York, February 19, 1861
Address at New York City, February 19, 1861
From an Address to the New Jersey Assembly, February 21, 1861
Speech at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22,
1861
From an Address at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1861