![]() ![]() But the second page is on what has been loosely described as foolscap, suggesting that Lincoln was not fully satisfied with the final paragraph of the Address and rewrote that passage in Gettysburg on November 18 while staying at the home of Judge David Wills. The first page of this copy is on White House (then Executive Mansion) stationery, lending strong support to the theory that it was drafted in Washington, D.C. Delivered by President Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the dedication of a memorial cemetery on November 19, 1863, it is now familiarly known as “The Gettysburg Address.” Drawing inspiration from his favorite historical document, the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln equated the catastrophic suffering caused by the Civil War with the efforts of the American people to live up to the proposition that “all men are created equal.” This document is presumed to be the only working, or pre-delivery, draft and is commonly identified as the “Nicolay Copy” because it was once owned by John George Nicolay, Lincoln’s private secretary. Seen here is the earliest known of the five drafts of what may be the most famous American speech. The result is perhaps Lincoln’s most candid statement on slavery. Hodges was so convinced that he asked the President to put his arguments in writing. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling.” I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. Lincoln began his statement, “I am naturally anti-slavery. ![]() Lincoln heard their complaints but went on to persuasively outline the benefits of allowing blacks to serve in the Federal Army. There was considerable dissatisfaction in the Blue Grass state on the issue because, although the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply in the border states, runaway slaves could gain their freedom through military service. Hodges, editor of the Frankfort, Kentucky, Commonwealth, journeyed from Kentucky to meet with Lincoln to discuss the recruitment of slaves as soldiers in Kentucky. On March 26, 1864, former Senator Archibald Dixon, Governor Thomas E. He steeped his words in a moral context: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.” Washington’s inaugural address, numbering ten pages, reveals both the deep anxiety and the tenacious idealism with which he approached the office of the presidency. His Excellency was saluted on the common by a discharge from the artillery, and escorted into Philadelphia by a large body of troops, together with his excellency the president of the state, and a numerous concourse of respectable citizens.” Aware of the importance of this national ritual, the brown-suited Washington set many precedents during his first inauguration: the swearing-in took place outside the oath was taken upon a Bible an inaugural address was given (to the assembled Congress inside the Hall) the contents of which set the pattern for all subsequent addresses and festivities accompanied the inauguration, including a church service, a parade, and fireworks.Īccording to a description in the May 1789 issue of Columbian Magazine: “About noon the illustrious Washington appeared, and as he passed under the first triumphal arch, the acclamations of an immense crowd of spectators rent the air, and the laurel crown, at that instant, descended on his venerable head. George Washington passed through several cities-including Philadelphia and Trenton-on the way to his first inauguration at Federal Hall in New York City, then the temporary capital of the United States. It was then sent to the states for ratification. The Federal Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by thirty-nine delegates attending the Convention. According to Roger Sherman of Connecticut, both proposals were unnecessary because the individual state declarations of rights were still in effect. Motions were made to preface the Constitution with a Bill of Rights and to protect the freedom of the press, but both were defeated when put to a vote. The delegates made few changes in the Committee of Style report. The delegates appointed a committee consisting of William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut as chairman Alexander Hamilton of New York Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania James Madison of Virginia and Rufus King of Massachusetts “to revise the style of, and arrange, the articles which have been agreed to by the House.” Johnson presented a digest of the finished Constitution on September 12, and the Convention ordered copies printed and distributed to the delegates. By Saturday, September 8, 1787, the work of the Convention was almost at an end. ![]()
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