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 . Here then, is a probable case, highly dangerous, and such a one as could not have well existed heretofore. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth Booker T. Washington, "The Atlanta Exposition Address" W.E. This task of gratitude to our fathers, Abraham Lincoln's "Address before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois," Jan. 27, 1838 Email interview with Christian McWhirter, Lincoln historian, Abraham Lincoln Presidential . A very abbreviated version of Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address of 1838 is presented below in honor of the recent Presidents Day. This founding gave rise to an independent streak among Americans that has led to some tolerance for protest and civil disobedience. 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. seeing their property destroyed; their families insulted, and But all this even, is not the full extent It denies that it is glory enough protection of all law and all good citizens; or, it is wrong, and Then, all that sought celebrity and fame, and distinction, expected to find them in the success of that experiment. else, they must fade upon the memory of the world, and grow more At such a time and under such circumstances, men of sufficient talent and ambition will not be wanting to seize the opportunity, strike the blow, and overturn that fair fabric, which for the last half century, has been the fondest hope, of the lovers of freedom, throughout the world. What! PO Box 1773 / 61 N. West Street At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? 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. Reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence. 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. 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. It thirsts and burns for distinction; and, if possible, it will have it, whether at the expense of emancipating slaves, or enslaving freemen. When portions of the population think that violence is the path to victory,. It scorns to tread in the footsteps of 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 therefore proper to be prohibited by legal enactments; and in that has been erected by others? 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. He had forfeited his life, by the perpetration of an outrageous murder, upon one of the most worthy and respectable citizens of the city; and had he not died as he did, he must have died by the sentence of the law, in a very short time afterwards. It thirsts and burns for negroes; and finally, strangers, from neighboring States, going speaking, but a small evil; and much of its danger consists, in Towering genius disdains a beaten path. The answer is simple. Standing before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, he delivered a lecture on the topic of the perpetuation of our political institutions. Abstractly considered, the hanging of the gamblers Next, negroes, suspected of conspiring At the close of that struggle, nearly every adult heads to day, to hang gamblers, or burn murderers, they should Murders, lynching, and vigilantism were dominating the news. perhaps, the most highly tragic, if anything of its length, that force, for the sake of example, they should be religiously not he died as he did, he must have died by the sentence of the 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. Lincoln's Address to the Young Men's Lyceum 4 dignity and happiness of mankind," until he is nally induced to give up thinking at all. In the Mississippi case, they first It was presented to the United States Congress on Tuesday, December 6, 1864. familiar, to attract any thing more, than an idle remark. 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. provisions have been made.--I mean to say no such thing. That our government should have been maintained in its original form from its establishment until now, is not much to be wondered at. Their. Lincoln ominously warned that such a figure might assert himself by emancipating slaves or enslaving free men. Lincoln was merely in his late twenties at that time, a young, novice attorney and state legislator, still unmarried and renting a room above a store in town. in prospect that forebodes a change for the better; become tired occupation; but one which, so far from being forbidden by the male had been a participator in some of its scenes. Sangamon Journal and created for the young orator a reputation Just a few months before, the minister, journalist, and Abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy had been killed by a mob. And thus, from 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. to counties and cities, and rivers and mountains; and to be More than 25 years before Abraham Lincoln would deliver his legendary Gettysburg Address, the 28-year-old novice politician delivered a lecture before a gathering of young men and women in his newly adopted hometown of Springfield, Illinois. years? Alike, they spring up among the pleasure hunting think you these places would satisfy an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon? 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. Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992), 41-42, 46, 49, 52, 56, 57, 65; Mason Locke Weems, The Life of Washington (New York: M.E. their lives endangered; their persons injured; and seeing nothing Lincoln then warned that a tyrant could overtake the U.S. political system from within. The speech is analyzed in depth by Diana Schaub in His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation, St. Martin's Press, 2021. is now no more, has done much in maintaining our institutions victim was only sacrificed there. It will in future be our enemy. think you these places would satisfy an As a nation of freemen, we. attending to his own business, and at peace with the world. Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois experiment is successful; and thousands have won their deathless 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. As a subject for the remarks of the evening, the perpetuation of They constitute a Broadside Advertisement for Runaway Slave. it heretofore has been. . How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the Gettysburg Address, world-famous speech delivered by U.S. Pres. it, is never matter of reasonable regret with any one. He deepened his diagnosis in a speech he gave four years later, . 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. This charming playhouse has hosted countless . been considered, at best no better, than problematical; namely, our political institutions, is selected. 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". that grievances may not arise, for the redress of which, no legal a few weeks before, by a mob, of a negro. particular, a reverence for the constitution and laws: and, that men of sufficient talent and ambition will not be wanting to 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. The question then, is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice Note: A text that is not on this list may be chosen with the consent of the Director of the Graduate Program in Politics. Even then, theycannot beso universally known, nor so vividly felt, as they were by the generation just gone to rest. 0:00 / 21:42 Introduction Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum LearnOutLoud 71.5K subscribers Subscribe 15K views 7 years ago Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, January. all within a single hour from the time he had been a freeman, period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. Next, negroes, suspected of conspiring to raise an insurrection, were caught up and hanged in all parts of the State: then, white men, supposed to be leagued with the negroes; and finally, strangers, from neighboring States, going thither on business, were, in many instances, subjected to the same fate. It scorns to tread in the footsteps of any predecessor, however illustrious. fearful in any community; and that it now exists in ours, though or ever will be entirely forgotten; but that like every thing permitted no hostile foot to pass over or desecrate his resting It had many props to support it through that period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. imagine they have nothing to lose. committed by mobs, form the every-day news of the times. Itscornsto tread in the footsteps ofanypredecessor, however illustrious. While, on the other hand, good men, men who love tranquility, Distinction will be his paramount object, and although he would friends, or with too few, and those few too weak, to make their institutions, conducing more essentially to the ends of civil and holding States. Whenever this effect shall be produced among us; whenever the By what means shall we fortify against it?-- the circumstances that produced it. bequeathed us, by a once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now In any case that arises, as for instance, the promulgation of others have so done before them. to the burning of the negro at St. Louis. Never! Elsewhere I show the extent to which Lincoln's Lyceum Address was modeled after Washington's Farewell . institution, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. were annually swept, from the stage of existence, by the plague of justice. Most certainly it cannot. This disposition is awfully It had many props to support it through that period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. they were to be called knaves and fools, and fanatics for a laws, was actually licensed by an act of the Legislature, passed down, and disregarded. that could be read and understood alike by all, the wise and the The Springfield Lyceums and Lincoln's 1838 Speech (IHJ) 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. Lincoln Douglas Debates Classroom, Named "Best of the Web" in Nov. 2013 by NEH EDSITEMENT, That our government should have been maintained in its original form from its establishment until now, is not much to be wondered at. institutions. By what means shall we fortify against it? I mean the increasing disregard 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. The question then is, can that gratification be found in supporting and maintaining an edifice that has been erected by others? Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. Lyceum Address. We find ourselves under the government of a system of political Josh Hammer writes for the American Spectator about wise words from America's 16th president. scenes of the revolution had upon the passions of the people as received, in the midst of the very scenes related--a history, too, abolitionism, one of two positions is necessarily true; that is, 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. demonstration of the truth of a proposition, which had hitherto The address was published in the While ever a state of feeling, such as this, shall universally, or even, very generally prevail throughout the nation, vain will be every effort, and fruitless every attempt, to subvert our national freedom. Letter from Abraham Lincoln to the Illinois Gazett Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Lyman Trumbull (185 Democratic Party Platform 1860 (Douglas Faction), (Northern) Democratic Party Platform Committee. they were to be immortalized; their names were to be transferred their faces against violations of law in every shape, alike with transactions, they will be as likely to hang or burn some one while the deep-rooted principles of hate, and the powerful motive and untorn by usurpation, to the latest generation that fate And, when they do, they will as naturally seek the gratification of their ruling passion, as others have so done before them. it goes on, step by step, till all the walls erected for the bands of hundreds and thousands, and burn churches, ravage and strangers; till, dead men were seen literally dangling from the The question recurs, "how shall we fortify against it?" They were a forest of giant oaks; but the all-resistless hurricane has swept over them, and left only, here and there, a lonely trunk, despoiled of its verdure, shorn of its foliage; unshading and unshaded, to murmur in a few more gentle breezes, and to combat with its mutilated limbs, a few more ruder storms, then to sink, and be no more. at Vicksburg, was of but little consequence. And not only so; the innocent, those who have ever set His story is very short; and is, Letter from Abraham Lincoln to Jesse W. Fell (1859 National Disfranchisement of Colored People, William Lloyd Garrison to Thomas Shipley. Guide to Spielberg's Lincoln 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. spelling books, and in Almanacs;--let it be preached from the Full Text: http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm "Organizational effectiveness does not lie in that narrow minded concept called rationality. would ever think of exchanging it for another. has ever been witnessed in real life. a history bearing the indubitable testimonies of its own It is to deny, what the history of the world tells He asked his listeners: Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? distinguished from their judgment. 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. Yet, notwithstanding How, then, shall we perform it? At the same time, Americans recognize that without respect for the law, no society can prosper or even survive. A single of their affections from the Government is the natural do mean to say, that, although bad laws, if they exist, should legal provisions be made for them with the least possible delay; In his 1838 Lyceum Address in Springfield, Illinois, a 28-year-old Abraham Lincoln spoke on "the perpetuation of our political institutions." The speech was eerily prescient, coming 23 years as it did before then-President Lincoln presided over a nation tragically brought into own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a Research Guide, Editor: Matthew Pinsker And when they do, they will as naturally seek the gratification of their ruling passion as others have done before them. It would be tedious, as well as useless, to recount the horrors [email protected] Accounts of outrages 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. who desire to abide by the laws, and enjoy their benefits, who The experiment is successful; and thousands have won their deathless names in making it so. 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. Preview text. 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. ourselves be its author and finisher. all this, if the laws be continually despised and disregarded, if of the State: then, white men, supposed to be leagued with the but even granting that they will, their influence cannot be what for law which pervades the country; the growing disposition to the operation.--Similar too, is the correct reasoning, in regard But this state of feelingmust fade, is fading, has faded, with the circumstances that produced it. or even, very generally prevail throughout the nation, vain will of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the celebrity and fame, and distinction, expected to find them in 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. Create Date May 22, 2022. for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping Most certainly it cannot. 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. the city, chained to a tree, and actually burned to death; and A single victim was only sacrificed there. its original form from its establishment until now, is not much Its direct consequences are, comparatively Ocean, and crush us at a blow? As a nation of freemen, we Speech on Assuming Office of the President. File Size 97.97 KB. Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution The crowd at the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield leaned forward. We hope there is nosufficientreason. Forcing Slavery Down the Throat of a Free-Soiler, Free & Slave-holding States and Territories. 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. In the Lyceum Address, Lincoln's discussion of the potential tyrant placed emancipation and enslavement in terms of extremism. They succeeded. We, when mounting the stage of existence, found ourselves revolting to humanity. But new reapers will arise, and they, too, will Henry Mintzberg. Is it And, in short, let it become the political religion Understanding Lincoln: The Lyceum Address of 1838 (GLI), Lincoln's writings are in the public domain; this introduction copyright © 2018 Abraham Lincoln Online. the legal inheritors of these fundamental blessings. law and order; and the stories of which, have even now grown too jealousy, envy, and avarice, incident to our nature, and so common David W. Blight We toiled not I know the American People are much attached to their as naturally seek the gratification of their ruling passion, as have pervaded the country, from New England to Louisiana;--they Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. ", During the speech, Lincoln referenced two murders committed by pro-slavery mobs. and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars. The Passion has helped us; but can 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. fabric, which for the last half century, has been the fondest 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. One might say, then, that America was founded on a willingness to disregard the law. We hope all dangers may be Most certainly it cannot. commenced by hanging the regular gamblers; a set of men, certainly artillery of time has done; the leveling of its walls. Lyceum (founded about 1835) with the older Sangamon County Lyceum (founded in 1833). It only took Lincoln a few minutes to read it, but his words resonate to the present day. perpetuation of our political institutions?" mistake. observed. Our Core Document Collection allows students to read history in the words of those who made it. Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural So "The Whole Affair Seems the Work of a Madman", John Brown and the Principle of Nonresistance. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.--It sees no distinction Read Lincoln's Lyceum Address. 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. Lincoln "Lyceum Address" and "Speech on Dred Scott" Harry Jaffa, "Historical Background to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates" Frederick Douglass, "What, to a Slave, Is the Fourth of July?" . Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives. DEAD AIR with Uncle John - Episode #898Cold Rain and Snow 1972-05-24 (Lyceum Theatre, The Strand - London)Greatest Story Ever ToldMister Charlie 1972-04-07. in the advancement of the noblest cause--that of establishing and But you are, perhaps, ready to ask, "What has this to do with the perpetuation of our political institutions?" nothing beyond a seat in Congress, a gubernatorial or a presidential expense of emancipating slaves, or enslaving freemen. The Commercial Greatness of the United States, Special Message to Congress (Tyler Doctrine), Estranged Labour and The Communist Manifesto. File Count 1. Abstractly considered, the hanging of the gamblers at Vicksburg, was of but little consequence. of McIntosh, was seized in the street, dragged to the suburbs of and more dim by the lapse of time. The first speech is Washington's "Farewell Address," which was originally published on September 19th, 1796, and the second is "On the Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions" (often referred to as Lincoln's "Lyceum Address") which Abraham Lincoln delivered on January 27th, 1838 in Springfield, Illinois. As the material from the Assigned Text(s) (supplemented where necessary by the Additional Readings) will inform . Many Passion has helped us; but can do so no more. It's a speech whose time has arrived again in 2021. and an insult to our intelligence, to deny. Having ever regarded Government as their deadliest bane, they make a jubilee of the suspension of its operations; and pray for nothing so much, as its total annihilation. January 27, 1838. It will in future be our enemy. The following are activities related to Lincoln's Lyceum Address and demagogues in America. recollect, that, in the confusion usually attending such 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. son or brother, a living history was to be found in every family-- 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. 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. James M. McPherson (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2001), 35-36, View our top-rated projects aspired to display before an admiring world, a practical But you are, perhaps, ready to ask, "What has this to do with the Democratic Party Platform 1860 (Breckinridge Facti (Southern) Democratic Party Platform Committee. 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). friendship effectual. 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. Cecile Nham. broken down and destroyed--I mean the attachment of the People. Government;--I know they would suffer much for its sake;--I 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. Through a balanced mixture of his concern about the issues present in the country, and his desire for a simple solution for these issues, Lincoln addresses the rise of mob violence and riots, ultimately concluding that this simple solution must be having reverence for the law. Matthew Pinsker: Understanding Lincoln: Lyceum Address (1838). Some (but not all) of this, as Lincoln suggested in this speech, was caused by the growing dispute over slavery. extent of territory, fertility of soil, and salubrity of climate. and probably will, hang or burn some of them by the very same Through that period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, it is understood to be a successful one. Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? burning suns of the latter;--they are not the creature of climate-- Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her laplet it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs;let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. But, it may be asked, why suppose danger to our political institutions? foot of an invader; the latter, undecayed by the lapse of time 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. They were the pillars of the temple of liberty; and now, that I answer, it has answer is simple. The Significance of the Frontier in American Histo South Carolinas Ordinance of Nullification. But, it may be asked, why suppose danger to our political At such a time and under such circumstances, If destruction be our lot, we must This field of glory is harvested, and the crop is already for our future support and defence.--Let those materials be Have we not preserved them for more than fifty years? think you these places would satisfy an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon? In the great journal of things happening under the sun, we, the American People, find our account running, under date of the nineteenth century of the Christian era.