Category Archives: lincoln

“Liberty to all…gives hope to all”

Abraham Lincoln, “Fragment on the Constitution and the Union” Thanks to Cole Simmons for mentioning this. The problem: the Declaration of Independence does not have legal standing. One could say it’s like acid on nearly any set of laws. An appeal to “nature’s God” could yield anything. The problem was very acute when slavery was …

November 16, 2011 – 3:28 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Comments (2)

Abraham Lincoln, “Speech at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania”

Speech at Independence Hall (February 22, 1861. Text is from the Library of America edition, ed. Don Fehrenbacher. For the original variant sources, see Basler.) Abraham Lincoln MR. CUYLER:- I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing here in the place where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, …

July 4, 2011 – 1:03 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Comments (1)

Abraham Lincoln, “Remarks to Baltimore Presbyterian Synod, Washington, D.C.”

Note: As far as I can tell, there are no copies of the primary source below online. The text is from the Library of America, Lincoln’s Speeches and Writings 1859-1865, ed. Don Fehrenbacher, copyright 1989. I am open to claims about the authenticity of the text, but extended comment follows below nonetheless. Remarks to Baltimore …

July 5, 2010 – 5:31 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Comments (6)

Abraham Lincoln, “Letter to Ephraim D. and Phoebe Ellsworth”

Letter to Ephraim D. and Phoebe Ellsworth, 5.5.1861 Abraham Lincoln To the Father and Mother of Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth: My dear Sir and Madam, In the untimely loss of your noble son, our affliction here, is scarcely less than your own. So much of promised usefulness to one’s country, and of bright hopes for …

May 31, 2010 – 1:42 pm | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Comments (5)

Abraham Lincoln, “Proclamation of Thanksgiving”

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, …

November 26, 2009 – 2:45 pm | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Comments (3)

November 19, 1863 – Today the Gettysburg Address was delivered

But you say you are conservative – eminently conservative – while we are revolutionary, destructive, or something of the sort. What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried? We stick to, contend for, the identical old policy on the point in controversy which was adopted by …

November 19, 2009 – 9:42 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, links, politics | Comments (3)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My plan for today is to go comatose in front of the television – I hope your day is just as joyous. Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation is interesting reading: it is very difficult to conceive how anyone in the US could have been in a celebrating mood in 1863. The question is, what is the relation …

November 27, 2008 – 3:34 pm | By ashok | Posted in lincoln | Comments (4)

What Can We Reasonably Expect from Partisanship?

Lincoln in 1857, “On the Republican Party:” Upon those men who are, in sentiment, opposed to the spread, and nationalization of slavery, rests the task of preventing it. The Republican organization is the embodiment of that sentiment; though, as yet, it by no means embraces all the individuals holding that sentiment. The party is newly …

November 12, 2008 – 2:57 pm | By ashok | Posted in education, lincoln, politics | Tagged , | Comments (5)

Questions regarding the Lincoln Memorial

Following up on the last post about my time with Collegium, Christine and Bill in DC. Again, many thanks for their observations and thoughts, which are reflected below. The Lincoln Memorial stands tall, as if out of reach. Wikipedia notes that the columns are Doric but doesn’t talk about the frontal access to the temple …

June 7, 2008 – 2:00 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

In Appreciation: Glen Thurow and the Problem of Speech in Democratic Life

We have a habit of paying no attention, much less carefully considering, what another stands for until we cannot take them for granted anymore. Strange how caught up we can be: even remembering the dead is usually an indulgence in our own impressions. It is fitting that we temporarily put this problem aside, given the …

April 7, 2008 – 4:34 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Tagged , | Comments (2)