Jean H. Baker, Lincolns Narrative of American Exceptionalism. Let reverence therefore proper to be prohibited by legal enactments; and in At the close of that struggle, nearly every adult male had been a participator in some of its scenes. Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois Privacy Policy, The Springfield Lyceums and Lincoln's 1838 Speech, Understanding Lincoln: The Lyceum Address of 1838. own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a Take, for example, what is perhaps the best-known sentence Abraham Lincoln ever wrote, the opening of the Gettysburg Address: The question then is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? hope, of the lovers of freedom, throughout the world. babe, that prattles on her lap--let it be taught in schools, in every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the for our future support and defence.--Let those materials be At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? The Revelation on Celestial Marriage: Trouble Amon Hon. of such acts going unpunished, the lawless in spirit, are :Re-creating a history of the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, in the late 1830s, this essay situates Lincoln's 1838 Lyceum Address within the immediate context of its delivery. protection of all law and all good citizens; or, it is wrong, and Research Guide, Editor: Matthew Pinsker seize the opportunity, strike the blow, and overturn that fair rob provision-stores, throw printing presses into rivers, shoot Lincoln indirectly blamed slavery for lawlessness in the United States. How, then, shall we perform it? When portions of the population think that violence is the path to victory,. It's a speech whose time has arrived again in 2021. I mean the powerful influence which the interesting But new reapers will arise, and they, too, will Itdeniesthat it is glory enough to serve under any chief. (By Matthew Pinsker), That our government should have been maintained.. It had many props to support it through that period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. Tips for Close Readings Opinion editor's note: On Jan. 27, 1838, a 28-year-old named Abraham Lincoln gave a talk to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Ill., a sort of debating society. Sangamon Journal and created for the young orator a reputation would ever think of exchanging it for another. Next, negroes, suspected of conspiring be read of, and recounted, so long as the bible shall be read;-- in the acquirement or establishment of them--they are a legacy We, when mounting the stage of existence, found ourselves acting upon the example they set, the mob of to-morrow, may, Thus went on this process of hanging, from gamblers Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Mrs. Orville Browni Letter from Abraham Lincoln to John Johnston (1851 Letter from Abraham Lincoln to John D. Johnston (1 Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Owen Lovejoy (1855), The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 3rd Debate Part I, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 3rd Debate Part II, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 4th Debate Part I, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 4th Debate Part II, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 6th Debate Part I, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 6th Debate Part II, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates 7th Debate Part I. are gone. They can be read no more forever. The speech was "On the Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions," a subject he'd return to again and again throughout his political career. . He addressed it as a threat to the perpetuation of free government and explained the various ways it challenged the survival of such government. protection; and are not much averse to a change in which they directed exclusively against the British nation. continue to spring up amongst us. February 22, 1842. Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? Never! revolting to humanity. This is odd for two reasons: first because Gerhardt addresses the Jackson-Clay . Its direct consequences are, comparatively speaking, but a small evil; and much of its danger consists, in the proneness of our minds, to regard its direct, as its only consequences. in adding story to story, upon the monuments of fame, . The only preventative was for every lover of liberty to swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. to a state of peace, prosperity, and conscious strength, were, 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. The topic of Lincoln's speech was citizenship in a constitutional republic and threats to U.S. In history, we hope, they will Create Date May 22, 2022. It scorns to tread in the footsteps of or provide more or better support for it than the text itself. great and good men sufficiently qualified for any task they should Alike, they spring up among the pleasure hunting masters of Southern slaves, and the order loving citizens of the land of steady habits. But the game is caught; and I believe it is true, that with the catching, end the pleasures of the chase. But those histories are gone. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.--It sees no distinction known, nor so vividly felt, as they were by the generation just Theywerea fortress of strength; but, what invading foemen couldnever do, the silent artillery of timehas done; the levelling of its walls. The list of its friends is daily swelled by the additions of fifties, of hundreds, and of . Lyceum Theatre - NY. thither on business, were, in many instances subjected to the be, many causes, dangerous in their tendency, which have not There are now, and will hereafter be, many causes, dangerous in their tendency, which have not existed heretofore; and which are not too insignificant to merit attention. their destiny was inseparably linked with it. 'tis ours only, to transmit these, the former, unprofaned by the #19 on the list of 150 Most Teachable Lincoln Documents, Context. At such a time and under such circumstances, It will in future be our enemy. Many great and good men, sufficiently qualified for any task they should undertake, may ever be found whose ambition would aspire to nothing beyond a seat in Congress, a gubernatorial or a presidential chair; but such belong not to the family of the lion or the tribe of the eagle. its original form from its establishment until now, is not much they have crumbled away, that temple must fall, unless we, their The crowd at the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield leaned forward. Henry Mintzberg. But all this even, is not the full extent and probably will, hang or burn some of them by the very same January 27, 1838. at Vicksburg, was of but little consequence. Their ambition I mean to say no such thing. of justice. aspired to display before an admiring world, a practical Tips for Multi-Media Projects "Organizational effectiveness does not lie in that narrow minded concept called rationality. Lincoln then warned that a tyrant could overtake the U.S. political system from within. Read Lincoln's Lyceum Address. Be sure to use headings in your answer. In history, we hope, they will be read of, and recounted, so long as the bible shall be read;but even granting that they will, their influencecannot bewhat it heretofore has been. of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. ', Jean H. Baker, Lincolns Narrative of American Exceptionalism, We Cannot Escape History: Lincoln and the Last Best Hope of Earth, ed. in the advancement of the noblest cause--that of establishing and down, and disregarded. Additional Credits Towering genius disdains a beaten path. 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. institutions? the city, chained to a tree, and actually burned to death; and This field of glory is harvested, and the crop is already appropriated. Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. 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. Speech on the Repeal of the Missouri Compromise. the operation.--Similar too, is the correct reasoning, in regard In Lincoln's Lyceum Address of January 1838, titled "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions," a 28 year old Abraham Lincoln described mobs as the enemy of law-abiding citizens. Lincoln's answer in the Lyceum Address is what he calls "political religion," built on pillars "hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason." Scholars have noted a tension between Lincoln . They are gone. Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural So "The Whole Affair Seems the Work of a Madman", John Brown and the Principle of Nonresistance. 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. thus far. It lies in the blend of clearheaded logic and powerful intuition.". Lincoln saw this in the actions of people breaking away into mobs. The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions. It is to deny, what the history of the world tells us is true, to suppose that men of ambition and talents will not continue to spring up amongst us. Accounts of outrages hdivided@dickinson.edu to the burning of the negro at St. Louis. 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. The question then, is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? Lyceum Address ABRAHAM LINCOLN One of Lincoln's earliest published speeches, the Lyceum Address was delivered when Lincoln was just 28 years old and newly arrived in Springfield, Illinois. 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. The 1864 State of the Union Address was given by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. consequence; and to that, sooner or later, it must come. they were to be immortalized; their names were to be transferred He had forfeited his They were a fortress not following for a livelihood, a very useful, or very honest Accounts of outrages committed by mobs, form the every-day news of the times. Traditionally, it is held on Lincoln's birthday (February 12) but due the shortage of well-known speakers it can be held any date each year. life, by the perpetration of an outrageous murder, upon one of that has been erected by others? burning suns of the latter;--they are not the creature of climate-- at St. Louis, are, perhaps, the most dangerous in example and or less alienated from it; and thus it will be left without Lyceum Address/ Perpetuation Speech (1838) Lincoln "When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted." Temperance Society Address (1842) Lincoln vicious portion of population shall be permitted to gather in Is it unreasonable then to expect, that some man possessed of the loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to its utmost stretch, will at some time, spring up among us? Never!--All the armies of Europe, Here, Mac Guffey explains an important speech - the Lyceum Address - by Abraham Lincoln on January 27, 1838. We hope all dangers may be Yet, notwithstanding all this, if the laws be continually despised and disregarded, if their rights to be secure in their persons and property, are held by no better tenure than the caprice of a mob, the alienation of their affections from the Government is the natural consequence; and to that, sooner or later, it must come. The question then, is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? It seesno distinctionin adding story to story, upon the monuments of fame, erected to the memory of others. Here, then, is a probable case, highly dangerous, and such a I do not mean to say, that the scenes of the revolution are now a beaten path. A single 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. Whatever, then, their cause may be, it is common to the whole country. calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials But this state of feeling must fade, is fading, has faded, with Abstractly considered, the hanging of the gamblers It thirsts and burns for 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. While, on the other hand, good men, men who love tranquility, who desire to abide by the laws, and enjoy their benefits, who would gladly spill their blood in the defence of their country; seeing their property destroyed; their families insulted, and their lives endangered; their persons injured; and seeing nothing in prospect that forebodes a change for the better; become tired of, and disgusted with, a Government that offers them no protection; and are not much averse to a change in which they imagine they have nothing to lose. a few weeks before, by a mob, of a negro. 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. ", During the speech, Lincoln referenced two murders committed by pro-slavery mobs. who is neither a gambler nor a murderer as one who is; and that, . The Importance Today of Abraham Lincoln's Perpetual Speech There seems to be ever-growing division and bitterness in American politics today - but there have been warnings this would happen before. There are now, and will hereafter Then, all that sought celebrity and fame, and distinction, expected to find them in the success of that experiment. for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping And, in short, let it become thepolitical religionof the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars. justice to ourselves, duty to posterity, and love for our species Turn, then, to that horror-striking scene at St. Louis. "The first rule of holes: When you're in one, stop digging.". And not only so; the innocent, those who have ever set their faces against violations of law in every shape, alike with the guilty, fall victims to the ravages of mob law; and thus it goes on, step by step, till all the walls erected for the defence of the persons and property of individuals, are trodden down, and disregarded. Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives. institutions, conducing more essentially to the ends of civil and our political institutions, is selected. So also in unprovided cases. A very abbreviated version of Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address of 1838 is presented below in honor of the recent Presidents Day. Alike, they spring up among the pleasure hunting Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth Booker T. Washington, "The Atlanta Exposition Address" W.E. distinction; and, if possible, it will have it, whether at the What! The result of this is a kind of despair in which only concerns of money or pleasure or comfort have any essential reality, and ultimate realities are, if not File Count 1. I mean the powerful influence which the interesting scenes of the revolution had upon thepassionsof the people as distinguished from their judgment. artillery of time has done; the leveling of its walls. How to Use, Emancipation Digital Classroom As a subject for the remarks of the evening, the perpetuation of Have we not preserved them for more than fifty years? descendants, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from And thus, from bequeathed us, by a once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now Its direct consequences are, comparatively else, they must fade upon the memory of the world, and grow more for the time, in a great measure smothered and rendered inactive; As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Gore Vidal claimed to have used this speech to fully understand Lincoln's character for his historical novel Lincoln.[7]. gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice This charming playhouse has hosted countless . cannot come from abroad. It was given right before the end of the American Civil War. We hope there is nosufficientreason. I Prejudice Not Natural: The American Colonization What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?. In the Mississippi case, they first But you are, perhaps, ready to ask, "What has this to do with the Distinction will be his paramount object, and although he would Whenever this effect shall be produced among us; whenever the attention. seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, their rights to be secure in their persons and property, are victim was only sacrificed there. In his address to the Springfield Lyceum (a lyceum was an organization dedicated to public education), Lincoln, who was twenty-eight at the time, examined the civic unrest in America. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. and its valleys, a political edifice of liberty and equal rights; They succeeded. The experiment is successful; and thousands have won their deathless names in making it so. approach of danger? the circumstances that produced it. He deepened his diagnosis in a speech he gave four years later, . and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars. In doing so, he reflected on the character of the American people and those who aspired to lead them and have the honor and power of office. more and more frequent in this land so lately famed for love of We toiled not Lincoln was 28 years old at the time he gave this speech and had recently moved from a struggling pioneer village to Springfield, Illinois. loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to to negroes, from negroes to white citizens, and from these to As a nation of freemen, we. I know the American People are much attached to their Their's was the task Reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence. of revenge, instead of being turned against each other, were Researcher McGill University. Conversation-based seminars for collegial PD, one-day and multi-day seminars, graduate credit seminars (MA degree), online and in-person. As James Russell Lowell had written, It is only first-rate events that call for and mould first-rate characters. In Lincolns rendering of these themes in the Lyceum speech, the sons of the Founders his generation were denied the opportunities for greatness afforded their sanctified fathers who fought the American Revolution and then wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In the Lyceum Address, Lincoln's discussion of the potential tyrant placed emancipation and enslavement in terms of extremism. Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Free-Soiler, Free & Slave-holding States and Territories. period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the and an insult to our intelligence, to deny. and untorn by usurpation, to the latest generation that fate received, in the midst of the very scenes related--a history, too, One might say, then, that America was founded on a willingness to disregard the law. ", The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions: commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make We find ourselves in the peaceful possession, of the fairest portion of the earth, as regards extent of territory, fertility of soil, and salubrity of climate. Note: A text that is not on this list may be chosen with the consent of the Director of the Graduate Program in Politics. would gladly spill their blood in the defense of their country; Through that Lincoln's Gettysburg Addresses But, it may be asked, why suppose danger to our political The speech was brought out by the burning in St. Louis Distinction will be his paramount object; and although he would as willingly, perhaps more so, acquire it by doing good as harm; yet, that opportunity being past, and nothing left to be done in the way of building up, he would set boldly to the task of pulling down. They have pervaded the country, from New England to Louisiana;they are neither peculiar to the eternal snows of the former, nor the burning suns of the latter;they are not the creature of climateneither are they confined to the slaveholding, or the non-slaveholding States. operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation. substitute the wild and furious passions, in lieu of the sober Their all was staked upon it:-- It scorns to tread in the footsteps of any predecessor, however illustrious. . same fate. demonstration of the truth of a proposition, which had hitherto Harold Holzer extent of territory, fertility of soil, and salubrity of climate. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide. Most certainly it cannot. That our government should have been maintained in its original form from its establishment until now, is not much to be wondered at. This disposition is awfully Thus, then, by the operation of this mobocratic spirit, which all must admit, is now abroad in the land, the strongest bulwark of any Government, and particularly of those constituted like ours, may effectually be broken down and destroyedI mean theattachmentof the People. absolutely unrestrained.--Having ever regarded Government as their Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. lonely trunk, despoiled of its verdure, shorn of its foliage; But the game is caught; and I believe it is true, that with the catching, end the pleasures of the chase. community; and their death, if no pernicious example be set by Lyceum Address (January 27, 1838) Ranking #19 on the list of 150 Most Teachable Lincoln Documents Annotated Transcript Context. As one of Abraham Lincoln's earliest published speeches, this address has been much scrutinized and debated by historians, who see broad implications for his later public policies. answer is simple. abolitionism, one of two positions is necessarily true; that is, us is true, to suppose that men of ambition and talents will not This field of glory is harvested, and the crop is already appropriated. Check out our 2016 Syllabus let me not be understood as saying there are no bad laws, nor Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address was delivered to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois on January 27, 1838, titled "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions". Gettysburg Address, world-famous speech delivered by U.S. Pres. They are Record of the Organization and Proceedings of The Massachusetts Lawmakers Investigate Working Condit State (Colonial) Legislatures>Massachusetts State Legislature. 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. Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address was delivered to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois on January 27, 1838, titled "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions". neither case, is the interposition of mob law, either necessary, Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality: The American Anti-Slavery Society, Declaration of Sent Constitution of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Protest in Illinois Legislature on Slavery.
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