If destruction be our lot, we must 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 As a subject for the remarks of the evening,the perpetuation of our political institutions, is selected. Analyze primary source excerpts of Lincoln's speeches and letters from before the Civil War to think about Lincoln as an aspiring leader and to better understand his views about slavery and how they changed. of strength; but, what invading foeman could never do, the silent shall permit the world to know. But all this even, is not the full extent of the evil. continue to spring up amongst us. "Towering genius distains a beaten path," he said. In his address to the Springfield Lyceum (a lyceum was an organization dedicated to public education), Lincoln, who was already an established politician at age twenty-eight with a growing reputation as a successful litigator, examined the civic unrest in America. Lyceum Address. a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials :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. Titled The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions, it focused primarily on recent outbreaks of mob violence, which Lincoln roundly condemned, adding his voice to the Illinois Whig chorus denouncing the upsurge in riots and lynching. In any case that arises, as for instance, the promulgation of abolitionism, one of two positions is necessarily true; that is, the thing is right within itself, and therefore deserves the protection of all law and all good citizens; or, it is wrong, and therefore proper to be prohibited by legal enactments; and in neither case, is the interposition of mob law, either necessary, justifiable, or excusable. Thus, then, by the operation They succeeded. years? character of his own, and his children's liberty. scenes of the revolution had upon the passions of the people as 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. legal provisions be made for them with the least possible delay; or less alienated from it; and thus it will be left without Whatever, then, their cause may be, it is common to the whole country. as willingly, perhaps more so, acquire it by doing good as harm; In the Mississippi case, they first commenced by hanging the regular gamblers: a set of men, certainly not following for a livelihood, a very useful, or very honest occupation; but one which, so far from being forbidden by the laws, was actually licensed by an act of the Legislature, passed but a single year before. Towering genius disdains a beaten path. with impunity; depend on it, this Government cannot last. Murders, lynching, and vigilantism were dominating the news. while the deep-rooted principles of hate, and the powerful motive commenced by hanging the regular gamblers; a set of men, certainly This page is not available in other languages. The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions Add Song of the Spinners from the Lowell Offering. It is to deny, what the history of the world tells Sangamon Journal and created for the young orator a reputation been considered, at best no better, than problematical; namely, is common to the whole country. broken down and destroyed--I mean the attachment of the People. intelligent, to successfully frustrate his designs. Download. They can be read no more forever. 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. The first was the burning of Francis McIntosh, a freedman who killed a constable, and was subsequently lynched by a mob in St. Louis in 1836. The experiment is successful; and thousands have won their deathless names in making it so. How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the 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". to the burning of the negro at St. Louis. At the close of that struggle, nearly every adult male had been a participator in some of its scenes. It had many props to support it through that loftiest genius, coupled with ambition sufficient to push it to Lincoln's Lyceum Address .pdf (Full Text) Download 29. Such are the effects of mob law; and such are the scenes, becoming more and more frequent in this land so lately famed for love of law and order; and the stories of which, have even now grown too familiar, to attract any thing more, than an idle remark. A large portion of the speech is used in the Disneyland attraction Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. a drapery of the forest. 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. As a subject for the remarks of the evening, the perpetuation of Gore Vidal claimed to have used this speech to fully understand Lincoln's character for his historical novel Lincoln.[7]. File Count 1. particularly of those constituted like ours, may effectually be Government;--I know they would suffer much for its sake;--I Although the Temperance cause has been in progress for near twenty years, it is apparent to all, that it is, just now, being crowned with a degree of success, hitherto unparalleled. It lies in the blend of clearheaded logic and powerful intuition.". He reminded everyone how slavery was the main point of the Civil War and he felt and proposed it insulted GOD. fearful in any community; and that it now exists in ours, though Stream Lyceum Address (January 27, 1838) by House Divided Project on desktop and mobile. As the Lyceum address was one of Lincoln's earliest published speeches, it has been examined thoroughly by historians. think you these places would satisfy an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon? There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law. On January 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln was just 28 years old. As they respect civil disobedience, therefore, they also prize law and order. Lincoln went on to say in his address: "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". defense of the persons and property of individuals, are trodden And why may we not for fifty times as long? I know the American People are muchattachedto their Government;I know they would suffer much for its sake;I know they would endure evils long and patiently, before they would ever think of exchanging it for another. community; and their death, if no pernicious example be set by its basis; and as truly as has been said of the only greater Through that period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, it is understood to be a successful one. 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. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping it goes on, step by step, till all the walls erected for the He asked his listeners: Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? The question then, is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? This charming playhouse has hosted countless . The War With Mexico: Speech in the United States H What Are the Colored People Doing for Themselves? and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and victim was only sacrificed there. And thus, from If they succeeded, they were to be immortalized; their names were to be transferred to counties and cities, and rivers and mountains; and to be revered and sung, and toasted through all time. Roughly half of the collection, more than 20,000 documents, comprising 62,000 images, as well as . This disposition is awfully Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our men of sufficient talent and ambition will not be wanting to Abstractly considered, the hanging of the gamblers One of Abraham Lincoln's first major speeches, the Lyceum Address, was a warning to America that rings truer yet today. In the Lyceum. itself be extremely dangerous. But those histories are gone. He had forfeited his demonstration of the truth of a proposition, which had hitherto undertake, may ever be found, whose ambition would inspire to The murder riveted and polarized the nation, and although Abraham Lincoln did not mention Lovejoy by name in his speech to the Young Mens Lyceum in January 1838, most historians consider it obvious that he had the incident in mind as he deplored mob violence and urged Americans to uphold their faith in law and republican institutions. Check out our 2016 Syllabus 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. occupation; but one which, so far from being forbidden by the . I answer. In the 1830s America experienced a high degree of civil disorder, according to some historians, more riots and mob actions than in any other decade in American history. 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. unreasonable then to expect, that some man possessed of the It sees no distinction in adding story to story upon the monuments of fame erected to the memory of others. a history bearing the indubitable testimonies of its own the legal inheritors of these fundamental blessings. protection; and are not much averse to a change in which they all this, if the laws be continually despised and disregarded, if 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. . Abraham Lincoln at the dedication (November 19, 1863) of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of one of the decisive battles of the American Civil War (July 1-3, 1863). Here then, is one point at which danger may be expected. familiar, to attract any thing more, than an idle remark. We hope there is no sufficient reason. Eric Foner At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? The question then, is, can that Even then, they cannot be so universally friendship effectual. Never!--All the armies of Europe, But the game is caught; and I believe it is true, that with the catching, end the pleasures of the chase. Hist 100: Gateway to History: Abraham Lincoln's America Room: Building LChas Room 122 Class Times: MW 2:00-3:15pm Instructor: Larry Hudson . At the time, he was twenty-eight and had little reason to suspect, despite the distance he had already traveled from his hardscrabble days as a farm boy on the middle border, that he would become a central figure in his own story. It seesno distinctionin adding story to story, upon the monuments of fame, erected to the memory of others. Upon these let the proud fabric of freedom rest, as the rock of Tips for Multi-Media Projects This disposition is awfully fearful in any community; and that it now exists in ours, though grating to our feelings to admit, it would be a violation of truth, and an insult to our intelligence, to deny. it is understood to be a successful one.--Then, all that sought mistake. 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. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. grating to our feelings to admit, it would be a violation of truth, law and order; and the stories of which, have even now grown too 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. If they failed, to a state of peace, prosperity, and conscious strength, were, would ever think of exchanging it for another. 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. his sacred honor;--let every man remember that to violate the The Lyceum Address, one of Lincoln's earliest published speeches, is studied for its indications of his later public policies. A very abbreviated version of Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address of 1838 is presented below in honor of the recent Presidents Day. In "the Lyceum Address ," Lincoln warned his audience about rising divisions and tensions within American society, in particular over the issues of slavery and abolition, and encouraged them. The first Lincoln speech for which we have a complete text, his Lyceum speech of January 1838, is written in language that is fairly conventional for the oratory of that day, but much of it sounds decidedly un-Lincolnian. Its direct consequences are, comparatively Thus went on this process of hanging, from gamblers to negroes, from negroes to white citizens, and from these to strangers; till, dead men were seen literally dangling from the boughs of trees upon every road side; and in numbers almost sufficient, to rival the native Spanish moss of the country, as a drapery of the forest. Viewed in the context of his oratorical career, the Lyceum Address foreshadows a notable feature of Lincoln's rhetoric: He carefully places his own ideas, arguments, and sentiments into a public arena where they exist in competitive interaction with other ideas, arguments, and sentiments. masters of Southern slaves, and the order loving citizens of the 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. The question then is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? If such arise, let proper legal provisions be made for them with the least possible delay; but, till then, let them if not too intolerable, be borne with. Our Core Document Collection allows students to read history in the words of those who made it. to be wondered at. It will in future be our enemy. Gerhardt discusses the Lincoln speech in his book, but he never alludes to the Clay speech. It was presented to the United States Congress on Tuesday, December 6, 1864. Itscornsto tread in the footsteps ofanypredecessor, however illustrious. be, many causes, dangerous in their tendency, which have not [1][2] In his speech, Lincoln warned that mobs or people who disrespected U.S. laws and courts could destroy the United States. When I so pressingly urge a strict observance of all the laws, James M. McPherson (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2001), 35-36, View our top-rated projects (By Matthew Pinsker), That our government should have been maintained.. We toiled not in the acquirement or establishment of themthey are a legacy bequeathed us, by aoncehardy, brave, and patriotic, butnowlamented and departed race of ancestors. observed. maintaining civil and religious liberty. portion of population, that is worse than useless in any in prospect that forebodes a change for the better; become tired every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth Booker T. Washington, "The Atlanta Exposition Address" W.E. 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. Though. If such arise, let proper Create Date May 22, 2022. ", The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions: are neither peculiar to the eternal snows of the former, nor the At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? January 27, 1838. TeachingAmericanHistory.org is a project of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, 401 College Avenue, Ashland, Ohio 44805 PHONE (419) 289-5411 TOLL FREE (877) 289-5411 EMAIL [emailprotected], The Congress Sends Twelve Amendments to the States. Let those materials be moulded intogeneral intelligence,sound moralityand, in particular,a reverence for the constitution and laws: and, that we improved to the last; that we remained free to the last; that we revered his name to the last; that, during his long sleep, we permitted no hostile foot to pass over or desecrate his resting place; shall be that which to learn the last trump shall awaken our WASHINGTON. to serve under any chief. So also in unprovided cases. A single victim was only sacrificed there. or ever will be entirely forgotten; but that like every thing Sharpe, 1996). Let every American, every lover of liberty, Through that period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, it is understood to be a successful one. In the Lyceum Address, Lincoln's discussion of the potential tyrant placed emancipation and enslavement in terms of extremism. in the land, the strongest bulwark of any Government, and Description. If they failed, they were to be called knaves and fools, and fanatics for a fleeting hour; then to sink and be forgotten. national freedom. The address was published in the Never! I do not mean to say, that the scenes of the revolution are now All will be expected to have a Documents in Detail: "Against American Imperialism", https://archive.org/details/lifeworks02lincuoft/page/274, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions Address before the Young Mens Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, Check out our collection of primary source readers. 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 proneness of our minds, to regard its direct, as its only land of steady habits.--Whatever, then, their cause may be, it They were the pillars of the temple of liberty; and now, that of the State: then, white men, supposed to be leagued with the and its valleys, a political edifice of liberty and equal rights; period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, in the acquirement or establishment of them--they are a legacy bequeathed us, by a once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now expense of emancipating slaves, or enslaving freemen. What! Those happening in the State of Mississippi, and Josh Hammer writes for the American Spectator about wise words from America's 16th president. And thus, from the force of circumstances, the basest principles of our nature, were either made to lie dormant, or to become the active agents in the advancement of the noblest of causethat of establishing and maintaining civil and religious liberty. The following are activities related to Lincoln's Lyceum Address and demagogues in America. Speech on the Repeal of the Missouri Compromise. for the time, in a great measure smothered and rendered inactive; revered and sung, and toasted through all time. Lyceum (founded about 1835) with the older Sangamon County Lyceum (founded in 1833). (and nobly they performed it) to possess themselves, and through 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. vicious portion of population shall be permitted to gather in Theywerethe 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. But all this even, is not the full extent 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". A Lyceum Address for Our Times Christopher Flannery Lincoln speaks against the mob. The text is brief, just three paragraphs amounting to less than 300 words. Research Guide, Editor: Matthew Pinsker Their all was staked upon it:-- This can perhaps be elucidated with recourse to two speeches from Lincoln and Clay, Lincoln's Lyceum Address (1838) and Clay's speech against the Seminole War (1819). seek a field. We hope there is nosufficientreason. hope, of the lovers of freedom, throughout the world. answer is simple. and probably will, hang or burn some of them by the very same not he died as he did, he must have died by the sentence of the sufficient, to rival the native Spanish moss of the country, as Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? son or brother, a living history was to be found in every family-- their faces against violations of law in every shape, alike with A Lincoln Day Dinner (sometimes called Lincoln Dinner) is an annual celebration of the Republican Party and a fundraising event for Republican Party affiliated organizations at the county level. spelling books, and in Almanacs;--let it be preached from the Debate on the Constitutionality of the Mexican War, Letters and Journals from the Oregon Trail. to raise an insurrection, were caught up and hanged in all parts By this influence, the the solid quarry of sober reason. Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Free-Soiler, Free & Slave-holding States and Territories. Additional Credits Address to the Slaves of the United States. of revenge, instead of being turned against each other, were Abraham Lincoln, "Lyceum Address" Robert Alter, The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel. 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. seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, one as could not have well existed heretofore. life, by the perpetration of an outrageous murder, upon one of 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).