The Most Famous Speeches of Abraham Lincoln: The History of the Cooper Union Address, the Gettysburg Address, and the Second Inaugural Address

*Includes pictures*Includes excerpts from the speeches*Includes reactions to the speeches from newspaper reports and audience members*Includes online resources and bibliographies for further reading*Includes a table of contentsAbraham Lincoln was still not considered a real option for the Republican nomination until he delivered a speech at New York City’s Cooper Union in February 1860, just a few months before the Republicans’ convention in May. Lincoln had gained a bit of a national profile by debating Stephen Douglas during an Illinois Senate Race in 1858, and though he lost that election, Lincoln continued discussing the same themes, most notably slavery and Dred Scott in his Cooper Union speech. In the hard-hitting speech, Lincoln both deflected Southern criticisms and attacked them, chiding would-be secessionists, “Your purpose, then, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the Government, unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please, on all point