 Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham
Lincoln President
by Harold Holzer
List Price: $14.00
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 0743299647
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publish Date: November 7, 2006
A review by Phillip Muskett
Harold Holzer has written over 22 articles and books pertaining to Abraham
Lincoln. A complete list is located on his web site www.haroldholzer.com. He
won the Lincoln Diploma of Honor from Lincoln Memorial University and in 2005 Lincoln
at Cooper Union finished second in the Lincoln Prize ballots given by
Gettysburg College. He is one of the preeminent speakers concerning Abraham
Lincoln and his speaking, schedule located on his website, is a testament to
his knowledge of the subject. Harold is an expert on Abraham Lincoln and his
study of the Cooper Union speech only adds to his honors.
Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President
is the story of that momentous speech; its impetus, preparation, delivery,
reception, publication, calculated reiteration and its enormous, perhaps
decisive, impact on that year’s (1860) Presidential campaign. (1) This speech,
as the title suggests, made Lincoln President of the United States. The book
covers the events leading up to February 27, 1860 and the events after the
speech that led to Lincoln’s election as President of the United States. Harold
Holzer uses over one hundred sources to tell the story of this speech. The
speech introduced Abraham Lincoln to the Eastern Republicans who only knew
Lincoln from his famous debates with Stephen Douglas in 1858. This speech was
specifically directed at his old debate partner Stephen Douglas, the Southern
leaders, as well as the new Republican Party. Because of the campaign protocol
of the era, this was the last speech given by Lincoln before his election.
The author goes into meticulous detail of Lincoln’s research method. The reader
is left with an image of Lincoln, “bent over a table, pen in hand, and
squinting in the gaslight” (33) working diligently on the speech, as if Lincoln
knew this was his last shot at entering the Presidential campaign as a viable
contender. Lincoln used a myriad of books to research his speech, a few of
these are; Signers to the Declaration of Independence, Commentaries on the
Constitution, and That Annals of Congress. Lincoln dove into
these books to read how the founding fathers had voted on the issue of slavery.
Thirty-nine will be the number of founding fathers Lincoln would find and use
as examples, including George Washington. The author describes the research
methods of Lincoln brilliantly; the reader is almost there with Lincoln, in the
small office at the Illinois State Capital or at his desk in his office.
Chapter Five of the book is titled, “Nothing Impressive about Him”. Lincoln is
known by history as being tall, awkward and lanky. This chapter describes how
the various people in Cooper Union that evening described their first views of
Abraham Lincoln. The first person accounts the author uses describe Lincoln as
“ungainly” and “awkward.” (108) These were the most prominent physical
descriptions of Lincoln. Lincoln also wore a new suit, tailored in Illinois,
just for this occasion. He packed it in his trunk and upon removing it from the
trunk it was wrinkled. He wore that suit the entire day before the speech was
given. Matthew Brady photographed Lincoln in this suit, preserving the wrinkles
for history.
In Chapter 6 the author breaks down the speech. Lincoln divided this speech
into three sections; The Fathers, The Southerners and The Republicans. The
author is meticulous; examining the paragraphs of the speech, taking the reader
into Lincoln’s mind and intentions. When the reader finally reaches the final
chapter of the book, the actual speech, you are transported back to the winter
of 1860. The author has done well setting the stage for the final chapter of
the book, allowing the reader to grasp the context and emotions of the era
prior to the Civil War.
The result of the speech is Lincoln’s instant recognition in the Republican
Party membership in the Eastern United States. Lincoln had successfully
softened his “a House Divided” speech into a more moderate Republican mantra.
“Right makes might” reached around the world and reverberated in the northern
United States within days of its delivery. Lincoln spoke at numerous other
places immediately after the speech. The author briefly touches on these stops.
The southern United States turned a deaf ear to the “Black Republicans” speech.
The speech was published in newspapers, pamphlets and released in hard bound
tomes.
When Lincoln returned to Illinois from his east coast trip, he did not speak in
public again until the inauguration. This speech summed up all of what Lincoln
believed. There were many offers for speeches, but Lincoln turned them all
down. He could not add, but only detract from what had occurred at Cooper
Union. The author weaves the reader through this time before the inauguration,
describing how Lincoln carried on his daily life and handled the minor
political controversies that would nip at his heels throughout his Presidency.
As the title suggests, this speech thrust Abraham Lincoln into the national
spotlight. Lincoln played his cards and played them well. This book takes you
through the process, giving you a complete understanding of the speech. This
speech is part of the story of how Lincoln became President. Harold Holzer has
written a first class book on the Cooper Union speech, which adds to the
reputation of Abraham Lincoln, and himself as a Lincoln scholar.
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