Selected Speeches and Writings

by Abraham Lincoln, T. Harry Williams (Editor)

Ranging form finely honed legal argument to dry and sometimes savage humor to private correspondence and political rhetoric of unsurpassed grandeur, the writings collected in this volume are at once the literary testament of the great writer ever to occupy the White House and documentary history of American in Abraham Lincoln's time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, Classics, Philosophy, Biography

290 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 1992

About the author

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States from 1861, led during the Civil War, and emancipated slaves in the south in 1863; shortly after the end, John Wilkes Booth assassinated him.

Abraham Lincoln, an American lawyer, politician, and man, served until 1865. Lincoln defended the American constitutional nation, defeated the insurgent Confederacy, abolished, expanded the power of the Federal government, and modernized the economy.
A mother bore him into poverty in a log cabin in Kentucky, and parents reared on the frontier, primarily in Indiana. He educated as a lawyer in Whig party, joined legislature, and represented Illinois. In 1849, he returned to his successful law practice in Springfield, Illinois.

The Kansas–Nebraska act in 1854 opened the territories, angered him, and caused him to re-enter politics. He quickly joined the new Republican Party. He reached a national audience in the campaign debates against Stephen Arnold Douglas for Senate in 1858. Lincoln ran in 1860 and swept the north to gain victory. Other elements viewed his election as a threat and from the nation began seceding. During this time, the newly formed Confederate of America began seizing Federal military bases. A little over one month after Lincoln assumed, Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Following the bombardment, Lincoln mobilized forces to suppress the rebellion and restored.

Lincoln, a moderate, navigated a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from the Democratic Party and Republican Party. His allies, the Democrats, and the radical Republicans, demanded harsh treatment of the Confederates. He exploited mutual enmity of the factions, carefully distributing political patronage, and appealed to the American people. Democrats, called "Copperheads," despised Lincoln, and some irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements went so far as to plot. People came to see his greatest address at Gettysburg as a most influential statement of American national purpose. Lincoln closely supervised the strategy and tactics in the effort, including the selection of generals, and implemented a naval blockade of the trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland and elsewhere, and averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. He issued the proclamation, which declared free those "in rebellion." It also directed the Navy to "recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons" and to receive them "into the armed service." Lincoln pressured border to outlaw, and he promoted the thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished, except as punishment for a crime.
Lincoln managed his own successful re-election campaign. He sought to heal the torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, he attended a play at theater of Ford in Washington, District of Columbia, with Mary Todd Lincoln, his wife, when Confederate sympathizer fatally shot him. People remember Lincoln as a martyr and a national hero for his time and for his efforts to preserve and abolish. Popular and scholarly polls often rank Lincoln as the greatest president in American history.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rest in peace, great man.

Some quotes that are STILL RELEVANT TODAY:

Lincoln had some trouble with secessionists because no matter what the Republicans said, the secessionists accused them of not-recognizing their rights. This puts me in mind of those people who, despite all evidence to the contrary, assert that Democrats are trying to take away their guns. Here he is addressing this problem at New York’s Cooper Union:

“The question recurs, what will satisfy them? Simply this: We must not only let them alone, but we must, somehow, convince them that we do let them alone. ….
These natural, and apparently adequate means all failing, what will convince them? This and this only: cease to call slavery wrong, and join them in calling it right. And this must be done thoroughly—done in acts as well as in words. Silence will not be tolerated—we must place ourselves avowedly with them. … We must pull down our Free State constitutions. The whole atmosphere must be disinfected from all taint of opposition to slavery, before they will cease to believe that all their troubles proceed from us.”

Lincoln disliked passion. He preferred reason, and he was for following the law, always, regardless of what it said. As he addressed the Springfield Young Men’s Lyceum, when he was only 28 years’ old:

“Passion has helped us; but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defense. Let those materials be molded into general intelligence, sound morality and, in particular, a reverence for the constitution and laws …”

He pulled no punches. He said what he thought plainly and clearly. In a letter to Joshua Speed, who I recall was a friend, he wrote this:

“You say if Kansas fairly votes herself a free state, as a Christian you will rather rejoice at it. All decent slave-holders talk that way; and I do not doubt their candor. But they never vote that way. … The slave breeders and slave traders, are a small, odious and detested class, among you; and yet in politics, they dictate the course of all of you, and are as completely your masters, as you are the masters of your own negroes. …
… I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except negroes.” When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except negoes, and foreigners, and catholics.” When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.”

Oh, Snap.

When I read Lincoln, I was also reading Rene Guenon, The Crisis of the Modern World in which Guenon desperately wants to destroy the modern world, because it is not as religious as the Middle Ages, when the “intellectual intuition” of the elite of the Catholic Church reigned supreme. He despises democracy, individual rights and science. Next to Lincoln, Guenon comes off as a crank—a dangerous crank, but a crank nonetheless.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided upon this book to learn more about Lincoln the writer, not Lincoln the man. I can say with confidence it is a wonderful tool if other readers decide to follow the same course that I did. If instead they want to better know Lincoln the man and the arc of his thought, this book may suffice, but I myself cannot provide the assurance.

By near every account Lincoln today is heralded the most eloquent American president; perhaps also the most fluent prose writer in American history. The second to me is doubtful. The first even I wonder of its truth. Especially in the company of many of the founding fathers, such as Jefferson and Madison, whose presidential speeches I confess I am not familiar with, but nonetheless were noted for their facility with words, I wonder if such a spanning declaration of Lincoln's supremacy can so easily be asserted (Jefferson most of all for his draft of the Declaration of Independence "We hold these truth to be self-evident...").

Whether it can or cannot, Lincoln is certainly an accomplished writer, and is more than worthy of study for those interested in the elements of composition.

Questions abound about Lincoln's style, but foremost before the rest: what is the secret of Lincoln's prose? What explains the power and the potency that it projects?

The pedestrian answer, which is often offered, is that it is his poetic diction and florid use of language. There is a lot to recommend this explanation. Lincoln certainly commands his vocabulary. He often decorates his prose with verbal ornaments. In his writing there appears frequently studied use of imagery. For example "They were pillars of the temple of liberty; and now, that they have crumbled away, that temple must fall, unless we, their descendants, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason." Or verbal inventions such as "Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operation..." And another example "Like a rejected lover, making merry at the wedding of his rival, the President felicitates hugely over the late Presidential election."

That much admitted however, it is wrong to think this is the spark of Lincoln's writing. It is not. More myth than maxim in fact. It cannot be the true spring of his rhetorical power since the high and heroic moments of in the writing--the points where his force is at is maximum--do not issue from its verbal particles. They appear at the finish to highlight the conclusion; they do not to constitute it.

The source instead is Lincoln's keen sense for the assembly of an argument's opening, a careful construction of the matter for discussion, and then the delicate but decisive manner in which he maneuvers to resolve it. Observe that in all his speeches the exordium to it often long, and always elaborate. Lincoln is careful to explain as much what he is not saying, as what he is. He precedes his argumentation with reproofs from his political opponents. The tactic is to try and uncrowd the argumentative space before introducing his own. I would dare to say that Lincoln's openings are the real crown of his composition. And it is because of the posture they affect that Lincoln appears the considerate, sober, Solomonic, and unswerving character in his presentations.

There are other essential qualities to Lincoln's writing, which cannot be omitted. Foremost is the unusual syntax that defines all of Lincoln's writing. Even for the time it was distinctive, if inscrutable. What explains it I have not the faintest clue. An indelible impression from his biblical studies perhaps. I am not conversant enough with the King James bible to know if Lincoln's sentences resemble that form. But whatever the answer may be, his style persists through and across all his writing. Whether it is deliberately affected I cannot say. But it is certainly enduring. And, to his credit, Lincoln draws the full store of water from its well. For the reader who is reluctant to labor through difficult, awkward prose, his style quickly becomes secondhand, and steadily accessible.

The collection of documents contained with the book cover an array kinds of Lincoln's writings, from formal political addresses, to letters assigned to dear friends and family. They also traverse Lincoln's career, but mostly back-loaded, with focus on material from his presidency. The distribution is not fitted to any particular theme or subject. This makes the ideology of Lincoln's thought an imperfect object of this book. But the arrangement is well organized for the student of Lincoln's style. All his most famous speeches are included, both as President and before. Also included are some famous correspondence. The total assemblage is an ideal supply if what one wants is an abridged containment of Lincoln's writings. The only thing missing that deserves inclusion is Lincoln's editorial writing, which appeared frequently under pseudonym, in the time of his early adulthood. But that oversight is not a fatal flaw.

An additional feature of his writing that emerges from a review of this book is Lincoln's mood for distance. His thoughts sometimes are lonely, or dark, but they are rarely intimate. Everyone is addressed, even his wife, with a kind of professional officialness very becoming of a historic figure. It would go too far to say that Lincoln was never intimate in his writing, he is in his own way. But by contemporary standards Lincoln would come across as stiff. Essential to that impression is the discipline of his writing. Lincoln never lets agrip of his written poise. Next to his lawyerly style and sense for syntax, this compositional cool must be identified as an immanent feature.

Last for comment is the progress one can observe in the samples of Lincoln's writing. His early products are fine as they are, but don't manifest the confidence or power that distinguish his later works. For this reason his first speeches to the Young Men's Lyceum, or the House of Representatives, reveal mistakes in rhetoric that are noteworthy but subtle. They are not obscure moments, but both famous extracts by Lincoln in his career as a speechmaker. Nevertheless they lack the same argumentative effect that was accomplished in, for example, the 1861 special message to Congress. I would highlight three errors in particular that appear in Lincoln's early writing, but which in later entries have been amended.

First is confusion about what exactly is the reasoning that supports his main point. Though Lincoln is unsurpassed in his ability to frame and focus singularly on a problem, his argumentation in his early writing often untidy. Second Lincoln at times relied too much on eloquence to carry his argument. This is a facet of his that Lincoln himself was well aware of. And the Second Inaugural, his proudest moment, is an example of arrested eloquence but nonetheless produced enormous rhetorical effect. On this point Lincoln can surely be said to have overcome his earlier fault. Third Lincoln's lawyerly style of argument often made his writing oblique. Often he would first prove the principle, then establish his point by applying it in the particular case. This is fine as far as jurisprudential reasoning goes. It might also suffice for political philosophy. But the method does not translate as well into populist political oratory. Especially with the speech on the war with Mexico, Lincoln strays far from the course in order to make way to his conclusion.

But these are quibbles. Lincoln of course is a master of argument and persuasion. And this book is a wonderful study for those interested in examining his method and detailing specifics of his tactics and maneuvers at writing and argument. I recommend it.

[Descending Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of writings of one of the most important, level headed men who ever lived. I liked how the letters and the speeches aren't separated from each other, it's presented as the date they were written. The letters give a more in depth look into the man and the speeches, a more in depth of thought and politics.

[Sean Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably only read about 100 pages of the 400+ and that was more than enough for now. Lincoln loved the Union more than anything else and justified his actions based on that supreme allegiance. He opened the door for more Federal power and we reap some of that rotten fruit today.

[gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is also another I only read a bit of for schoolwork. I liked what I read and maybe someday I'll go back and read the rest. From this work you can clearly see Abraham Lincoln was a well talented speaker. The Gettysburg Address was the most interesting and moving to read. I loved it!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this from dailylit.com, the same way I'm reading The Ambassadors. It's a pretty neat free service!

[Skjam! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the sixteenth president of the United States, shepherding the nation through the dark days of the American Civil War. Though mostly self-educated, he had a gift for the English language, making memorable speeches and writing interest letters. Because of his historical importance and good prose, Lincoln’s writings and speeches are a common field of study.

The introduction by Gore Vidal speaks about the divide between the Lincoln of the hagiography and the Lincoln of the more complete biographies, the former omitting his “loon-like” moments and occasional crudity, as well as Lincoln’s less salutary opinions. Mr. Vidal feels that including these warts does not diminish Abraham Lincoln’s greatness.

There’s a lot of material in this volume, starting with Lincoln’s first known political address in 1832 about improvements to navigation on the Sangamo River and ending with a speech on his hopes for the Reconstruction period in 1865, short days before his assassination.

As one might expect, a lot of these writings are about slavery, the great issue of American politics from the 1840s to the 1860s. (Mr. Lincoln was not a fan.) But there are also responses to his ne’er-do-well stepbrother’s requests for money, a description of his disastrous courtship of a woman who turned out not to be interested, musings on scientific discoveries, and even a stab or two at poetry.

There’s a certain amount of redundancy, in particular on the subject of slavery and whether it should be allowed to spread to the Territories. (Lincoln at one point discusses this in a letter to his wife Mary; now that newspapers were printing his speeches widely, audiences already knew his best material.) This volume has all of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches for his debates with Stephen Douglas (but not Mr. Douglas’, so here we have only Mr. Lincoln’s word for what Mr. Douglas said) and there’s a large amount of repeated wording and ideas.

What comes through in this material (though I must point out that these writings are “selected” so that choice itself shapes the story) is Lincoln’s belief in the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence and its talk of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as not an accomplished thing, but a promise that had to be followed up, not just for the kind of people who had signed that declaration, but for all people. Mr. Lincoln may not have been up to declaring that black people should be full citizens of the United States, but he was sure that treating them as property was wrong.

Also obvious is how President Lincoln moved over his term in office from hesitation to use the powers of his station to confidence in doing what he felt needed to be done within the scope of the Constitution. (Perhaps overreaching with his War Powers.) He didn’t enter office with the intention of freeing the slaves, but of preserving the Union. In the end, however, Lincoln did not regret freeing slaves one little bit.

Also included at the end is an explanation of how the versions of the speeches and letters were chosen when there’s more than one extant, a chronology of Lincoln’s life, end notes, and an index.

The writing is clear and well done with a bit of antiquated vocabulary; any bright high school student should have little difficulty reading this. On the other hand, the redundancy of some of the material makes it a bit of a chore to plow straight through; the casual reader may want to take it slow and in small portions.

Highly recommended to Americans interested in the Civil War period or presidents. Students will want to pair this volume with a good biography of President Lincoln for an outside perspective.

[Julio Pino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the last person to put anyone on a pedestal, but Abraham Lincoln may have been the finest American to tread these shores, as both statesman and author. What other American has been hallowed by Fidel Castro and Pablo Neruda? Lincoln was dubbed "a literary genius" by the late historian Jacques Barzun. H.L. Mencken, a man not easily impressed by either politicians or writers, called the Gettysburg Address "simply superb". This superb collection of speeches and writings private and public, with a captivating introduction by Gore Vidal, author of LINCOLN: A NOVEL, illustrates why. Ole Abe had the good fortune not to attend college and received a literary education from what he called his "two indispensable sources, Shakespeare and the King James Bible". This explains why Lincoln’s prose is both laconic and hard as a bullet. When the Governor of Pennsylvania wrote him in 1861 that he saw no need to prepare the state for a possible Confederate invasion Lincoln sent him back a letter I shall quote in full: "I think the necessity of being READY increases---Look to it". When General Ulysses S. Grant took control of Vicksburg in July of 1863, thereby assuring Union control of the length of the Mississippi River Abraham proclaimed to the nation, "The Father of Waters once again flows unvexed to the sea". What other American President has ever written such a stunning line, almost Biblical in grandeur and lean like Hemingway? The State of the Union address, which Richard Nixon once rightly dubbed "a Presidential wish list", with as much interest for the listener, becomes a shining document with the pen of Lincoln. When a Confederate diplomat offered to start peace negotiations during the war, "as Cromwell and Charles I did during the English Civil War" Lincoln re plied, "To questions of history I shall refer you to {Secretary of State} Mr. Seward. All I can recall is that Charles got his head cut off!". No need to be a Civil War buff or even have an interest in American history to find pleasure and treasure in the mind of the man who inspired and ignited the Second American Revolution.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was required reading for a class, and I'm glad it was. I never knew much about Lincoln beyond the usual stuff we learn in grade school. Reading his writings and speeches provides fascinating insight into his character, wit, and genius. He was certainly the right man for the job. Not unflawed, by a long shot. He was of his time. But to see him grappling with the ideas is humbling.

[Michael Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It sings.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

His greatness cannot be overstated

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proving that the value of a college degree can be much overrated.

[Taylor Lapeyre]

Some of these speeches seem less like speeches and more like immortal artifacts that have always been said and must always be said the way that Abraham Lincoln said it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the Library of America books. I commend them for printing books with collections of letters, diaries, speeches, and journals of famous Americans. I bought this version of Abraham Lincoln's Speeches & Writings since it looked like a collection of his most important speeches and writings.

To get a better understanding of the 16th President of the United States, you must read what he said and wrote. Lincoln is either deified or vilified, and I find neither to be helpful. I agree with the late David McCullough that we should look at him as a person. I know he was referring to The Founding Fathers when he stated that, but the same can be applied to Lincoln. After reading these speeches and letters, I have learned more about him.

One of my favorite statements from the book was Lincoln writing a letter and he discusses the morality of slavery. He wrote: You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be a slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.

He continues to point out the hypocrisy of slavery. He even attacks the argument that whites are naturally more intelligent than blacks since slave owners used that to justify slavery in the US and Lincoln criticizes that by saying if someone comes along that is smarter than you, then using that logic you should be a slave to that person.

I recommend this book and other Library of America. I have John Adams volume 2 Revolutionary Writings, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, shorter version of George Washington's Speeches and Writings, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, and Voices from Reconstruction and Jim Crow.

If you want to learn more about our most famous president (definitely one of the most famous) then this is a superb book to read.

[Briana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit it, in a totally geeky way, I'm looking forward to these...

*EDIT*

I hesitate to say anything about Lincoln because so many people think he was just sooooo wonderful...

It was okay. He was sort of funny, sometimes, but not very often. I think I disagree with his argument against the South secession. I mean, the American Revolution could be argued against by the same standards...

And it feels like there are "good racist people" and "bad racist people".

[Venkataraman Sambasiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good reference book, especially on the political history of the relevant period (1830 - 1865)of the USA.

The policies of Abraham Lincoln stood and won mostly on their inherent merits. They did not need much manipulation and cunningness. Abraham Lincoln gives the impression of a plain speaker of his mind. Perhaps that did the trick.

[Woody Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selected Speeches and Writing by Abraham Lincoln shows the inside of one of the greatest Americans ever, through his letters and speeches. It shows his thinking before attempts at legislation. A wonderful man well before his time.I rated the book four stars because some of the letters are mundane and could have been left out for a tighter picture. The introduction by Gore Vidal is top notch.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

What should you do when faced with a moral wrong that is protected by a constitution you are determined to uphold? That tension permeated these speeches and letters. I don't think we get a decisive answer, but we get to observe a smart, articulate, and principled person attempt the navigation. I respect him more after reading this book.

[Moses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lincoln is a giant in American history, and after reading this book I see that his reputation is well-deserved. His letters and his speeches show a man of compassion, of sense, and with great qualities of leadership.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing to read his speeches and writings from 1850-1870. Heard th Elgin Symphony do the Gettysburg Address set to music. Thought 'this is going to be boring' and ended up enraptured by the words. Reading the Hiuse Divided speech and moving into the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

[Zena Ryder]

It is fascinating to be able to read Lincoln's original words and I have learnt a lot by doing so. I will be dipping into this book from time to time, as I pursue my obsession with Lincoln and the Civil War period.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barnone, Lincoln is my favorite writer.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a catalog

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well said!

[Shelby Fleischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Necessary for the library and the appreciation of the writing skill of the most fascinating character.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me another perspective on Lincoln and his views on slavery and the Union...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a class. While it's clear that Lincoln is an amazing writer and orator, I didn't particularly enjoy it--very dry with old timey language.

[Leila Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, provoking - Rhetoric at its best and its worst.

[Steve J]

February 18, 1992

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was slow reading for me, but glad to have read Lincoln's words.