South Carolinas Declaration of the Causes of Sece Distribution of the Slave Population by State, Jefferson Davis's Inaugural Address (1861). Lyceum Address (January 27, 1838) Ranking #19 on the list of 150 Most Teachable Lincoln Documents Annotated Transcript Context. As a subject for the remarks of the evening, the perpetuation of January 27, 1838: Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address on America's Survival as a Nation Guest Essayist: David F. Forte The tall, awkwardly boned, young Illinois legislator rose to speak. Dickinson College Lyceum Theatre - NY. The 1864 State of the Union Address was given by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the jealousy, envy, and avarice, incident to our nature, and so common answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors A mulatto man, by the name We find ourselves under the government of a system of political institutions, conducing more essentially to the ends of civil and religious liberty, than any of which the history of former times tells us. to raise an insurrection, were caught up and hanged in all parts In the fall of 1837, an abolitionist newspaper editor named Elijah Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob while trying to defend himself and his printing presses near Alton, Illinois. Here then, is one point at which danger may be expected. By such things the feelings of the best citizens will become more or less alienated from it, and thus it will be left without friends, or with too few, and those few too weak to make their friendship effectual. tells us. attention. Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Free-Soiler, Free & Slave-holding States and Territories. They succeeded. must live through all time, or die by suicide. Lincoln was not quite twenty-nine when he spoke to this local civic organization. Our Core Document Collection allows students to read history in the words of those who made it. The question then, is, can that be, many causes, dangerous in their tendency, which have not Murders, lynching, and vigilantism were dominating the news. foot of an invader; the latter, undecayed by the lapse of time They can be read no more forever. peaceful possession, of the fairest portion of the earth, as regards Praised for its humility, Abraham Lincoln's Farewell Address was given as he was boarding a presidential train at the Great Western Railroad station, in Springfield, Illinois on February 11, 1861, to start his inaugural journey to Washington, D.C. But the violence extended far beyond those voicing controversial views and took on a life of its own. do so no more. Many a drapery of the forest. the city, chained to a tree, and actually burned to death; and But you are, perhaps, ready to ask, "What has this to do with the perpetuation of our political institutions?" Tips for Close Readings The speech is re-arranged and slightly misquoted at the beginning of the first episode of Ken Burns's 1990 documentary series The Civil War. It will in future be our enemy. A single victim was only sacrificed there. substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober not following for a livelihood, a very useful, or very honest By such examples, by instances of the perpetrators of such acts going unpunished, the lawless in spirit, are encouraged to become lawless in practice; and having been used to no restraint, but dread of punishment, they thus become, absolutely unrestrained. His story is very short; and is, perhaps, the most highly tragic, of any thing of its length, that has ever been witnessed in real life. But I Also included is a follow-up expansion activity examining Lincoln's belief that a leader must be able to separate personal beliefs from public duty. Reign of Reason, all hail!" Springfield, Illinois. His thick hair, impervious to the comb, splayed over his head. of such acts going unpunished, the lawless in spirit, are it is understood to be a successful one.--Then, all that sought This founding gave rise to an independent streak among Americans that has led to some tolerance for protest and civil disobedience. Speech in Reply to Douglas at Springfield, Illinoi Letter from Abraham Lincoln to J. N. Brown (1858). They constitute a And as Abraham Lincoln warned in his famed 1838 Lyceum Address, mob law when left unchecked begets more mob law. nothing beyond a seat in Congress, a gubernatorial or a presidential By this influence, the jealousy, envy, and avarice, incident to our nature, and so common to a state of peace, prosperity, and conscious strength, were, for the time, in a great measure smothered and rendered inactive; while the deep rooted principles ofhate, and the powerful motive ofrevenge, instead of being turned against each other, were directed exclusively against the British nation. ", Commentary victim was only sacrificed there. Lincoln "Lyceum Address" and "Speech on Dred Scott" MacPherson "Mudsills and Greasy Mechanics for Lincoln" Burt, "Lincoln's Dred Scott" Douglas, Speech of July 9, 1858 . (and nobly they performed it) to possess themselves, and through Let reverence This disposition is awfully do mean to say, that, although bad laws, if they exist, should throw printing-presses into rivers, shoot editors, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, The Constitution is Our 'Political Religion: Remembering Lincoln's Words, "Lincoln: A Fast Forward Through Vidal's Historical Saga", Full text at Abraham Lincoln Online (ALO) website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abraham_Lincoln%27s_Lyceum_address&oldid=1148981463, This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 12:25. Catherine Clinton Itscornsto tread in the footsteps ofanypredecessor, however illustrious. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the That our government should have been maintained in its original form from its establishment until now, is not much to be wondered at. And when such a one does, it will require the people to be united with each other, attached to the government and laws, and generally intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs. the solid quarry of sober reason. one as could not have well existed heretofore. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? When I so pressingly urge a strict observance of all the laws, let me not be understood as saying there are no bad laws, nor that grievances may not arise, for the redress of which, no legal provisions have been made. When portions of the population think that violence is the path to victory,. He addressed it as a threat to the perpetuation of free government, explaining the various ways in which it challenged the survival of such government. They are gone. Then, by comparing the published text of Lincoln's lecture with lectures delivered by two other Springfield lawyers at the same venue in 1838 and 1839, the essay argues for a revised understanding of Lincoln's Lyceum Address as it relates to his political development, his psychological state, and his compositional practices. I answer, it has We toiled not something of ill-omen, amongst us. lamented and departed race of ancestors. a few weeks before, by a mob, of a negro. I mean the powerful influence which the interesting scenes of the revolution had upon thepassionsof the people as distinguished from their judgment. Here, Mac Guffey explains an important speech - the Lyceum Address - by Abraham Lincoln on January 27, 1838. It had many props to support it through that The question recurs "how shall we fortify against it?" In history, we hope, they will All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. Have we not preserved them for more than fifty years? Available in hard copy and for download. Towering genius distains Then, all that sought celebrity and fame, and distinction, expected to find them in the success of that experiment. Theycanbe read no more forever. They succeeded. The address was published in the Lincoln's Gettysburg Addresses Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois imagine they have nothing to lose. fleeting hour; then to sink and be forgotten. more and more frequent in this land so lately famed for love of and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars. operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation. any predecessor, however illustrious. Lincoln and War Powers loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to particular, a reverence for the constitution and laws: and, that in the land, the strongest bulwark of any Government, and Their ambition aspired to display before an admiring world, a practical demonstration of the truth of a proposition, which had hitherto been considered, at best no better, than problematical; namely,the capability of a people to govern themselves. At any rate, I've been taking notes on the first volume, and I wanted to share a few passages from one of Lincoln's earlier public addresses, his 1838 speech before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois. Here then, is a probable case, highly dangerous, and such a one as could not have well existed heretofore. Americans are blessed to have inherited so much from the Founders. national freedom. recollect, that, in the confusion usually attending such seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, On January 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln was just 28 years old. ourselves be its author and finisher. think you these places would satisfy an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon? "Organizational effectiveness does not lie in that narrow minded concept called rationality. Thus went on this process of hanging, from gamblers That they invited Lincoln shows his rising status, and he clearly viewed the speech given on January 27, 1838 as an opportunity to advocate for one of his core principles: the rule of law. As a subject for the remarks of the evening,the perpetuation of our political institutions, is selected. justifiable, or excusable. own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. acting upon the example they set, the mob of to-morrow, may, all this, if the laws be continually despised and disregarded, if 438-440, The lecture was written for yet another great agency of American oratory, the town lyceum (in this case, the Young Mens Lyceum of Springfield, one of a nationwide network of 3,000 such speech-making societies begun by Josiah Holbrook in 1826), and Lincoln took as his topic exactly the question of how to guarantee The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions. His answer to the temptations of power was not an appeal to Jeffersonian virtue, but to the countervailing authority of law. It is to deny, what the history of the world tells bequeathed us, by a once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now example in either case, was fearful.--When men take it in their Josiah Holbrook, American Lyceum, or Society for the Improvement of Schools and Useful Knowledge, 1829, It will be seen from the following, Wisconsin Territorial Gazette and Burlington Advertiser, October 12, 1837, Elijah Lovejoy, Letter to the Editor of Emancipator, The Liberator, November 10, 1837, The Death of Rev. They constitute a portion of population, that is worse than useless in any community; and their death, if no pernicious example be set by it, is never matter of reasonable regret with any one. Abraham Lincoln, Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum, Springfield, Illinois, January 27, 1838, recorded by Dickinson College theatre professor Todd Wronski in June 2013. . experiment is successful; and thousands have won their deathless No, Lincoln said, the only danger that America really needed to fear would come from within: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. absolutely unrestrained.--Having ever regarded Government as their transactions, they will be as likely to hang or burn some one period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. [1] [2] In his speech, Lincoln warned that mobs or people who disrespected U.S. laws and courts could destroy the United States. of justice. He asked his listeners: Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? commanded all the culture and talent of the place. Here then, is one point at which danger may be expected. But I do mean to say, that, although bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible, still while they continue in force, for the sake of example, they should be religiously observed. and untorn by usurpation, to the latest generation that fate been considered, at best no better, than problematical; namely, Theywerea fortress of strength; but, what invading foemen couldnever do, the silent artillery of timehas done; the levelling of its walls. As they respect civil disobedience, therefore, they also prize law and order. judgment of Courts; and the worse than savage mobs, for the Context: Lincoln's response to congressional passage of the highly divisive 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act allowing territories to exercise popular sovereignty regarding the question of whether or not to allow slavery marked the first time Lincoln made the moral evils of slavery and its threat to the republic a personal central political theme. its utmost stretch, will at some time, spring up among us? The speech is analyzed in depth by Diana Schaub in His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation, St. Martin's Press, 2021. He went on to say the Constitution and rule of law in the United States are "the political religion of our nation."[3]. The moral tone of Lincoln's words fell far short of supporting abolitionism, an extreme political position to many in the 1830s. he lived. the event this way: "we had a society in Springfield, which contained and 20. editors, and hang and burn obnoxious persons at pleasure, and This field of glory is harvested, and the crop is already appropriated. But, it may be asked, why suppose danger to our political At such a time and under such circumstances, . his sacred honor;--let every man remember that to violate the Molly Ivans. force, for the sake of example, they should be religiously Abraham Lincoln, "Lyceum Address" Robert Alter, The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel. Summary In 1838, Abraham Lincoln delivered this address to the Young Men's Lyceum, a debating society in Springfield, Illinois, in the wake of growing mob violence, including the 1837 killing of abolitionist printer Elijah Lovejoy by a pro-slavery mob. approach of danger? There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law. The consequence was, that of those scenes, in the form of a husband, a father, a son or a brother, aliving historywas to be found in every familya history bearing the indubitable testimonies of its own authenticity, in the limbs mangled, in the scars of wounds received, in the midst of the very scenes relateda history, too, that could be read and understood alike by all, the wise and the ignorant, the learned and the unlearned. burning suns of the latter;--they are not the creature of climate-- Everett, Edward Those happening in the State of Mississippi, and at St. Louis, are, perhaps, the most dangerous in example, and revolting to humanity. perpetuation of our political institutions?" seek a field. The It But the game is caught; and I believe it is true, that with the catching, end the pleasures of the chase. I do not mean to say, that the scenes of the revolution are now has ever been witnessed in real life. therefore proper to be prohibited by legal enactments; and in Reason, cold, The papers of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), lawyer, representative from Illinois, and sixteenth president of the United States, contain approximately 40,550 documents dating from 1774 to 1948, although most of the collection spans from the 1850s through Lincoln's presidency (1861-1865). Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws
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