DOCSLIB.ORG

For the People

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
For the People ForFor thethe PeoplePeople A Ne w s l e t t e r of th e Ab r a h a m Li n c o l n As s o c i a t i o n Volume 1, Number 1 Spring, 1999 Springfield, Illinois Abraham Lincoln, John Hay, and the Bixby Letter by Michael Burlingame Moreover, this beloved Lin- Although no direct, firsthand coln letter was almost certainly testimony shows that Hay claimed ost moviegoers are aware composed by assistant presidential authorship of the Bixby letter, that Abraham Lincoln’s secretary John Hay. Several peo- Hay did in 1866 tell William H. M letter of condolence to ple, including the British diplomat Herndon that Lincoln “signed Lydia Bixby, a widow who pur- John Morley, literary editor without reading them the letters I portedly had lost five sons in the William Crary Brownell, United wrote in his name.” Civil War, looms large in Stephen States Ambassador to Great Brit- Most Lincoln specialists have Spielberg’s recent film, Saving Private Ryan. Dated November 21, 1864, the letter reads as fol- lows: “I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so over- whelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the conso- lation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of Freedom. Yours, very sin- cerely and respectfully, A. Lin- coln.” Although extravagant praise has been lavished on this docu- ment, it is surrounded by ironies. The original copy of the Bixby Letter has never been located. Mrs. Bixby was deemed “the best specimen of a true-hearted Union” ain, Walter Hines Page, Louis A. doubted that Hay composed the ever seen, yet she was in fact a Coolidge, a Washington corre- Bixby letter. In 1982, Mark E. Confederate sympathizer who ran spondent for a Boston newspaper, Neely, Jr., declared: “There is not a whorehouse. In addition, Mrs. and Spencer Eddy, Hay’s personal a scrap of reliable evidence to Bixby lied about her sons; despite secretary, testified that they heard prove” Hay’s authorship of the her claim that five of them had Hay claim authorship or had Bixby letter. been killed, she had really lost heard that assertion made by a But there is. Hay’s papers at only two boys in the war. third party quoting Hay. continued on page 3 2 For the People For the People: A Newsletter I Can’t Recall of the Abraham Lincoln the Name but Association the Face is Familiar President’s Column he earliest known image of Abraham Lincoln is housed by Donald R. Tracy T in the collections of the time to read all there is to read Library of Congress. Generally hen I had the good for- of Lincoln, to nevertheless be attributed to Nicholas H. Shep- tune to be elected as involved and interested through herd and taken in 1846 or 1847, W your President, I set relatively short articles and book the daguerreotype is a companion forth four goals in my term that reviews that can be consumed in image to that of Lincoln’s young I believe are worthy, realistic, short order during breaks in attractive wife, Mary Todd. and attainable. 1. To increase action. Robert Todd Lincoln recalled membership from seven hundred With these goals in mind, I both photographs being hung in to one thousand members, which am extremely proud to present the parlor of the Springfield home is the level recommended by the to you this our first ever when he was growing up. Robert publisher of our journal, the newsletter, an issue that takes a also remembered them being the University of Illinois Press. 2. gigantic first step toward the first images of his father and To put our publications, The goals aforementioned. My opin- mother. But a number of other Collected Works of Abraham ion on this, however, does not Lincoln and Lincoln Day By Day, matter. What matters is your on our website on the Internet opinion. Therefore, please let us by February 12, 1999, and know what you think about this February 12, 2000, respectively. newsletter, whether you believe 3. To encourage greater involve- we should continue, and give us ment by younger people in the your ideas and suggestions for study of Abraham Lincoln. 4. improvement. To publish a first-rate quarterly In considering this, please newsletter. keep in mind that the newsletter There is no scarcity of is not an inexpensive proposi- newsletters in today’s world. In tion. It is estimated that this my profession, the law, I am in- newsletter will cost the Associa- undated with newsletters as I am tion $10 per member. Our min- sure you are in your profession. imum annual membership is only Likewise, newsletters abound $25 and most of that is already and multiply in the historical committed to paying for our community, particularly the Lin- Journal, symposium, and other coln community. Nevertheless, I endeavors. If we are to maintain believe there is a need for our a quality, quarterly newsletter we own newsletter for the following will need to either convince the images have been recently ad- purposes: To promote greater majority of our members to vanced asking scholars and the participation by our members in upgrade their membership (as public alike to accept the likeness- our works and functions, partic- many already have) or generate es as genuine photographs of ularly our annual symposium additional revenues in other Abraham Lincoln. The Hoffman and banquet; to promote our ways. In sum, I hope you enjoy “Lincoln” daguerreotype had a scholarly publications; to pro- this newsletter and I hope your computer imaging analysis sup- vide our members with an addi- will write us with your views port its claim while a vein pattern tional opportunity to communi- and suggestions. Also, remem- analysis rejected it. The image cate with one another; and to ber to check our website at was rejected in a non-scientific allow our nonacademic mem- www.alincolnassoc.com for oth- public poll at the Old State bers, who might not have the er news and information. continued on next page For the People 3 continued from previous page Abraham Lincoln, John Hay, and the Capitol with people voting eight Bixby Letter to one against it. The same image was withdrawn from auction when continued from page 1 Lincoln’s works; others appear it did not meet the minimum Brown University and at the Lib- much less often in Lincoln’s works rary of Congress contain scrap- than in Hay’s. They include “be- books full of newspaper accounts guile,” “I pray that our Heavenly of Hay’s own writings. Nestled Father,” “I cannot refrain from among various poems and notices tendering you,” “glory,” and of Hay’s lectures and books is a “cherish.” copy of the Bixby letter in each of This evidence suggests that it two scrapbooks. Moreover, Hay is highly probable that Hay, not frequently used words and phrases Lincoln, is the true author of “the that appear in the Bixby letter, most beautiful letter ever writ- some which never appear in ten.” reserve bid, adding collectors and institutions to the ranks of the image’s naysayers. A recent pho- tograph surfaced claiming to be taken in 1836 or 1837 showing Lincoln holding his law certifi- cate. The main problem with this claim is that the photographic process was not invented until 1839. Perhaps the oral tradition is mistaken about the date. But unless further credible evidence surfaces to make a case for the image, it is yet another added to the list of questionable Lincolns. The Abraham Lincoln Association Donald R. Tracy, President Molly Becker, Vice-President Richard Hart, Vice-President Richard Mills, Vice-President Thomas F. Schwartz, Secretary Judith Barringer, Treasurer For the People is published four times a year and is a benefit of membership of the Abraham Lincoln Association 1 Old State Capitol Plaza Springfield, Illinois John George Nicolay, John Milton Hay, and Abraham Lincoln 62701-1507 From Harper’s Weekly, June 11, 1864 4 For the People ters “denouncing the forgery.” Lincoln Never Said That According to Nicolay’s daughter, Helen, an exchange of letters by Thomas F. Schwartz ey Publishing Company, 1896). ensued between her father and Caroline Thomas Harnsberger’s, George C. Hackstaff of the hile Abraham Lincoln The Lincoln Treasury, cites Shibley Caldwell Remedy Company, re- may be one of the most as her source but also warns the garding the propriety of using a W quoted American Pres- reader that “this letter, often quot- spurious Lincoln quotation to idents he is unquestionably the ed is considered by the Abraham promote patent medicines. Hack- most misquoted. More times than Lincoln Association to be spuri- staff took umbrage at Nicolay’s not, the origin of the spurious ous.” Archer Shaw’s, The Lincoln accusations and demanded that quotation is elusive. When one is Encyclopedia, also includes the let- Nicolay prove the utterance to be able to locate the source of the ter without any editorial warn- false.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Curious Paternity of Abraham Lincoln
    GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS Judge for yourself: does that famous jawline reveal Lincoln’s true paternity? Spring 2008 olloquyVolume 9 • Number 1 CT HE U NIVERSI T Y OF T ENNESSEE L IBRARIES The Curious Paternity of Abraham Lincoln Great Smoky Mountains Colloquy WAS HE A SMOKY MOUNTAIN BOY? is a newsletter published by umors have persisted since the late 19th century that Abraham Lincoln The University of Tennessee was not the son of Thomas Lincoln but was actually the illegitimate Libraries. Rson of a Smoky Mountain man, Abram Enloe. The story of Lincoln’s Co-editors: paternity was first related in 1893 article in theCharlotte Observer by a writer Anne Bridges who called himself a “Student of History.” The myth Ken Wise was later perpetuated by several other Western North Carolina writers, most notably James H. Cathey in a Correspondence and book entitled Truth Is Stranger than Fiction: True Genesis change of address: GSM Colloquy of a Wonderful Man published first in 1899. Here is the 152D John C. Hodges Library story as it was told by Cathey and “Student of History.” The University of Tennessee Around 1800, Abram Enloe, a resident of Rutherford Knoxville, TN 37996-1000 County, N. C., brought into his household an orphan, 865/974-2359 Nancy Hanks, to be a family servant. She was about ten 865/974-9242 (fax) or twelve years old at the time. When Nancy was about Email: [email protected] eighteen or twenty, the family moved to Swain County, Web: www.lib.utk.edu/smokies/ settling in Oconoluftee at the edge of the Smokies.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Studies Mini-Unit the Reconstruction Era
    Social Studies Mini-Unit The Reconstruction Era Goal: These lessons focus on both national and local personal narratives from the Reconstruction Period. Let these stories help you decide what characteristics a community, a leader or an individual would need during this time period. Materials: Computer with internet, writing materials Instruction: Following the Civil War, the Reconstruction Period began within our country an immense new chapter for social reform with the definition of freedom for debate. People began to rebuild the South and try to unite the states, but newly freed persons were seeking ways to build their own futures in a still hostile environment. Dive into these lessons to learn more about individuals of the time. Lesson 1: Lincoln Originals This online exhibition features digital scans of primary historical documents in Abraham Lincoln’s hand, or signed by him, drawn from the diverse manuscript holdings at Cincinnati Museum Center. 1. Explore the Lincoln Originals Online Exhibit 2. Read the Emancipation Proclamation Fact Sheet [linked here] a. Extension: Review the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments which are considered the Reconstruction Amendments. 3. Journal Entry: What characteristics defined President Lincoln? a. Write a persuasive argument in the form of a letter addressed to a past president (or the current administration) outlining an important issue and what you believe the correct course of action is and why. Cite evidence to support your case. 4. Extension Option: Research Lincoln’s Ten-Percent Plan, a plan for reconstruction, versus the Wade-Davis Bill, which was a Radical Republican plan for reconstruction. Explore the similarities and differences of these two documents.
    [Show full text]
  • CW/VFM-67: ​John George Nicolay Letter​,​1861 November 29
    CW/VFM-67: ​John George Nicolay Letter​,​ 1861 November 29, Executive Mansion, to C. A. Walborn, Philadelphia. ALS, 1 page. Tipped into a bound copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Nicolay was originally born in the Rhineland in 1832, and immigrated to the United States in 1838 with his father. Later, he would become the assistant secretary of state of Illinois; where he met Abraham Lincoln. In 1861, Lincoln appointed Nicolay his private secretary and remained so until Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. Just prior to his death, Lincoln appointed Nicolay the US Consul at Paris, France. He served in this position until 1869, and a few years later was appointed as the US Supreme Court marshal; he The held this position for about five years. He also wrote books, his first was called ​ Outbreak of the Rebellion, ​ and was published in 1881. Later, he and John Hay (who was also assistant secretary to Lincoln) collaborated on a biography of the president and it Century Magazine appeared serially in the ​ ​ from 1886 to 1890 before it was issued in a ten-volume book set in the 1890s. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: Girard’s Topics of the Town Article glued in cover:​ ​ Account of the wounding of General H.S. Huidekoper th Huidekoper served in the 150​ ​ Pennsylvania Volunteers as an officer (colonel). While at Gettysburg, he was wounded twice and lost his right arm. He was so prostrated from his wounds he could not return to active duty, and instead served in the National Guard of Pennsylvania. He was appointed to Major General in 1870 by Governor Geary.
    [Show full text]
  • Emancipation Proclamation
    Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation with an introduction by Allen C. Guelzo Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation A Selection of Documents for Teachers with an introduction by Allen C. Guelzo compiled by James G. Basker and Justine Ahlstrom New York 2012 copyright © 2008 19 W. 44th St., Ste. 500, New York, NY 10036 www.gilderlehrman.org isbn 978-1-932821-87-1 cover illustrations: photograph of Abraham Lincoln, by Andrew Gard- ner, printed by Philips and Solomons, 1865 (Gilder Lehrman Collection, GLC05111.01.466); the second page of Abraham Lincoln’s draft of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862 (New York State Library, see pages 20–23); photograph of a free African American family in Calhoun, Alabama, by Rich- ard Riley, 19th century (GLC05140.02) Many of the documents in this booklet are unique manuscripts from the gilder leh- rman collection identified by the following accession numbers: p8, GLC00590; p10, GLC05302; p12, GLC01264; p14, GLC08588; p27, GLC00742; p28 (bottom), GLC00493.03; p30, GLC05981.09; p32, GLC03790; p34, GLC03229.01; p40, GLC00317.02; p42, GLC08094; p43, GLC00263; p44, GLC06198; p45, GLC06044. Contents Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo ...................................................................... 5 Documents “The monstrous injustice of slavery itself”: Lincoln’s Speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act in Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854. 8 “To contribute an humble mite to that glorious consummation”: Notes by Abraham Lincoln for a Campaign Speech in the Senate Race against Stephen A. Douglas, 1858 ...10 “I have no lawful right to do so”: Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861 .........12 “Adopt gradual abolishment of slavery”: Message from President Lincoln to Congress, March 6, 1862 ...........................................................................................14 “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude .
    [Show full text]
  • 150Th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
    Emancipation Proclamation Commemorative Coloring Book President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, announcing, "that all persons held as slaves. henceforward shall be free." This book belongs to I celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives, Washington, D.C. The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was an order issued by President Abraham Lincoln that began the process of freeing all the slaves in the United States. It was signed January 1, 1863. The order freed all slaves held by the Confederate States that were not in control of Union forces. The Eman- cipation Proclamation, followed by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, would eventually free four million enslaved Americans. The order also allowed freed slaves to join the U.S. mili- tary. By the end of the Civil War in 1865, 200,000 African American troops, most of whom were former slaves, served in the Union armed forces. These added troops, as well as the political effect of the Emancipation Proclamation, helped the Union win the Civil War. As a milestone along the road to end slavery, with the post–Civil War struggles, and the modern legacy of civil rights, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation Story and Legacy (MariaAbraham is writing) Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, and his Cabinet members read over the Emancipation Proclamation, which proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the 10 states rebelling against the Union in the Civil War. Lincoln first presented the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet on July 22, 1862, and issued the Preliminary Proclamation on September 22, 1862.
    [Show full text]
  • The Life of Abraham Lincoln
    Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln Professor Allen C. Guelzo THE TEACHING COMPANY ® Allen C. Guelzo, Ph.D. Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Director of Civil War Era Studies, Gettysburg College Dr. Allen C. Guelzo is the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era and Director of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is also the Associate Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. He was born in Yokohama, Japan, but grew up in Philadelphia. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote his dissertation under the direction of Bruce Kuklick, Alan C. Kors, and Richard S. Dunn. Dr. Guelzo has taught at Drexel University and, for 13 years, at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. At Eastern, he was the Grace Ferguson Kea Professor of American History, and from 1998 to 2004, he was the founding dean of the Templeton Honors College at Eastern. Dr. Guelzo is the author of numerous books on American intellectual history and on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era, beginning with his first work, Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological Debate, 1750– 1850 (Wesleyan University Press, 1989). His second book, For the Union of Evangelical Christendom: The Irony of the Reformed Episcopalians, 1873–1930 (Penn State University Press, 1994), won the Outler Prize for Ecumenical Church History of the American Society of Church History. He wrote The Crisis of the American Republic: A History of the Civil War and Reconstruction for the St.
    [Show full text]
  • No. 14~ THEY ONLY INCREASE the STATURE of the MAN
    Prepared in the Interests of Book Collecting at the The University of Michigan No. 14~ THEY ONLY INCREASE THE STATURE OF THE MAN. 1Sept 1947 A Little Dinner reminded us that we had more than two hours to for Lincoln wai t before the Lincoln At 12:01 A.M. on July ­ Papers could be opened. 2G, 1947, the Robert Todd He proposed that we Lincoln Collection of pa­ might pass the time plea­ pers relating to his father, santly listening to some of Abraham Lincoln, was our company tell us what opened to the public. they hoped to find in the This was that moment for collection. ,..rh ich many men had Dr Evans called first on wai ted years. The faces of Carl Sandburg. With a those men grouped around gentle smile on his face, the safes which had held and in the Middle West­ the papers were bright ern voice familiar to all with hope or troubled Lincolnians, Mr Sandburg wi th fears and worries or announced that he would stilled to conceal emo­ accompany himself on his lions. Yet were they all ex­ guitar with songs of the pectanL This was the mo­ American past. First, there ment; starring 00'\'''' they was a Revolutionary War would have - or they song by Joseph Warren would not have-s-answers about his hopes for the 10 questions about Lin­ future of our America coln which puzzled them. and then there was a bal­ These Lincoln Papers Reprinted with permission of S. J. Ray and . lad of Lincoln's time- the Kansas City Star had been sealed at the in- about a boy and a girl.
    [Show full text]
  • GRANT | Education Guide 1 at the Time of His Death, Ulysses S
    GRANT | Education Guide 1 At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most famous men in the world. He stood alongside leaders like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American heroes. But today, many of Grant’s contributions are largely forgotten. With a seamless blend of dramatic scenes, expert commentary and beautifully enhanced archival imagery, Grant is a three-part miniseries that uncovers the true legacy of the unlikely hero who led the nation during its greatest tests: the Civil War and Reconstruction. Executive produced by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and biographer Ron Chernow and Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Grant tells his story for a new generation of viewers. CURRICULUM LINKS: Grant would be useful for History, American History, Social Studies, Political Science and Government courses. This mini-series is rated TV-14V. Due to some violent scenes, we recommend that educators view the series before recommending it to students below 10th grade. Educators can use this guide as a resource and to develop their own lesson plans or activities best suited to their students and their specific educational benchmarks. GRANT | Education Guide 2 GENERAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Below are some general questions students can discuss after they watch one or more episodes of Grant. Students may also want to answer these questions in essay format. 1. What do you think were Grant’s most important contributions, during the Civil War and as president? 2. What were the primary issues that led to the American Civil War? 3. If you had to describe Ulysses S.
    [Show full text]
  • Liicoli Ooliection
    F The Oliver R. Barrett LIICOLI OOLIECTION "Public Auction ^ale FEBRUARY 1 9 AND 20 at 1:45 and 8 p. m. at the Parke-Bernet Galleries- Inc • • 980 MADISON AVENUE ^J\Qw Yovk 1952 LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER H A/Idly-^ nv/n* I Sale Number 1315 FREE PUBLIC EXHIBITION From Tuesday, February 12, to Date of Sale From 10 a. Tfj. to 5 p. m. y Tuesday 10 to 8 Closed Sunday and Monday PUBLIC AUCTION SALE Tuesday and Wednesday Afternoons and Evenings February 19 and 20, at 1 :45 and 8 p. m. EXHIBITION & SALE AT THE PARKE-BERNET GALLERIES • INC 980 Madison Avenue • 76th-77th Street New York 21 TRAFALGAR 9-8300 Sales Conducted by • • H. H. PARKE L. J. MARION A. N. BADE A. NISBET • W. A. SMYTH • C. RETZ 1952 THE LATE OLIVER R. BARRETT The Immortal AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ' DOCUMENTS MANUSCRIPTS ' PORTRAITS PERSONAL RELICS AND OTHER LINGOLNIANA Collected by the Late OLIVER R. BARRETT CHICAGO Sold by Order of The Executors of His Estate and of Roger W . Barrett i Chicago Public Auction Sale Tuesday and Wednesday February 19 and 20 at 1:45 and 8 p. m. PARKE-BERNET GALLERIES • INC New York • 1952 The Parke -Bernet Galleries Will Execute Your Bids Without Charge If You Are Unable to Attend the Sale in Person Items in this catalogue subject to the twenty per cent Federal Excise Tax are designated by an asterisk (*). Where all the items in a specific category are subject to the twenty per cent Federal Ex- cise Tax, a note to this effect ap- pears below the category heading.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Was Robert Todd Lincoln?
    WHO WAS ROBERT TODD LINCOLN? He was the only child of Abe and Mary Lincoln to survive into adulthood - with his three brothers having died from illness at young ages. Believe it or not, Robert lived until 1926, dying at age 83. But along the way, he sure lived a remarkable life. For starters, he begged his father for a commission to serve in the Civil War, with President Lincoln refusing, saying the loss of two sons (to that point) made risking the loss of a third out of the question. But Robert insisted, saying that if his father didn't help him, he would join on his own and fight with the front line troops; a threat that drove Abe to give in. But you know how clever Abe was. He gave Robert what he wanted, but wired General Grant to assign "Captain Lincoln" to his staff, and to keep him well away from danger. The assignment did, however, result in Robert's being present at Appomattox Court House, during the historic moment of Lee's surrender. Then - the following week, while Robert was at the White House, he was awakened at midnight to be told of his father's shooting, and was present at The Peterson House when his father died. Below are Robert's three brothers; Eddie, Willie, and Tad. Little Eddie died at age 4 in 1850 - probably from thyroid cancer. Willie (in the middle picture) was the most beloved of all the boys. He died in the White House at age 11 in 1862, from what was most likely Typhoid Fever.
    [Show full text]
  • Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address
    FF oo rr TT hh ee PP ee oo pp ll ee A NEWSLETTER OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN ASSOCIATION VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1 SPRING 2014 SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS WWW.ABRAHAMLINCOLNASSOCIATION.ORG Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address By Richard Brookhiser gines, are greater than anything that was available to Lincoln. Yet two of Lincoln’s mistakes are little known today—which sug- gests a narrowness of modern scholarship. The first half of the Cooper Union Address was a response to a speech by Stephen Douglas. Campaigning for a fellow Democ- rat in Ohio in September 1859, Douglas had said, “our fathers, when they framed the government under which we live, under- stood this question just as well, and even Richard Brookhiser is a biographer of the Found- better, than we do now.” “This question” ing Fathers (most recently author of James Madi- was whether the federal government could son, from Basic Books). His next book, also from restrict the expansion of slavery into the Basic, is Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lin- territories. Douglas argued that federal con- coln, due out in October. It tells Lincoln’s story trol would violate the principle of self- as a lifelong engagement with the founders— government; each territory’s inhabitants Washington, Paine, Jefferson and their great — should decide for themselves whether to documents—the Declaration of Independence, the allow slavery or not. Lincoln at Cooper Un- Photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken in New Northwest Ordinance, the Constitution—and York City by Mathew Brady on February 27, shows how America’s greatest generation made ion agreed with Douglas that “our fathers” 1860, the day of Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address its greatest man.
    [Show full text]
  • Attributing the Bixby Letter: a Case of Historical Disputed Authorship
    Attributing the Bixby Letter: A case of historical disputed authorship The Centre for Forensic Linguistics Authorship Group: Jack Grieve, Emily Carmody, Isobelle Clarke, Mária Csemezová, Hannah Gideon, Cristina Greco, Annina Heini, Andrea Nini, Maria Tagtalidou and Emily Waibel LSS Seminar Series Aston University, 13 April, 2016 Centre for Forensic Linguistic Authorship Group Staff and Students at the Centre for Forensic Linguistics have been conducting analyses of famous cases of disputed authorship for the past few years: CFLAG 2014: Jack Grieve and UG LE3031 Students: The Bitcoin White Paper CFLAG 2015: Andrea Nini and CFL MA students & staff: The Sony Hacker Case CFLAG 2016: Jack Grieve, CFL MA/PhD students & staff: The Bixby Letter The Bixby Letter In November 1864, in the midst of the Civil War and only 5 months before he would be assassinated, Abraham Lincoln sent a short letter of condolence to Lydia Bixby of Boston, who was believed to have lost five sons fighting for the Union. The Bixby Letter In fact, the Widow Bixby had only lost two sons and was also likely a brothel owner and a Confederate sympathiser, who had destroyed the letter in anger. Fortunately, the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, William Shouler, who had requested the letter from Lincoln, sent a copy to the Boston Evening Transcript. The Bixby Letter The Bixby Letter is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of correspondence in the history of the United States and one of Lincoln’s most celebrated texts, only surpassed by the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. It has also become part of public culture, for example being featured in the movie Saving Private Ryan and being recited by President George W.
    [Show full text]