NEW YORK HERALD, Dec. 7, 1858  

* President James Buchanan
* State of the Union Address

The first column of the front page has: "NATIONAL AFFAIRS" "The President's Message" "New Political Epoch in the United States" and more, signed in type: James Buchanan. This is followed by commentary regarding President James Buchanan's State of the Union Address.
The report takes the entire front page and continues on page 2. Additional reports from various Secretaries are also found within. 
Eight pages, a bit irregular at the spine from disbinding, some minor margin tears, good condition.

Background: The December 7, 1858, issue of the New York Herald holds immense historical significance because it captured a defining moment of political calm before the storm of the American Civil War by publishing President James Buchanan’s Second State of the Union Address in its entirety across its front and inner pages. Delivered to Congress on December 6, 1858, Buchanan's address—headlined in the paper under "NATIONAL AFFAIRS" and "New Political Epoch in the United States"—served as a defense of his administration's controversial reliance on "popular sovereignty" and the Dred Scott decision. In the message, Buchanan declared that civil strife had been pacified in "Bleeding Kansas" following the failed Lecompton Constitution controversies, touted the peaceful resolution of federal troop deployments during the Utah War, and attempted to ease nationwide economic panic stemming from the Panic of 1857. Furthermore, the address highlighted Buchanan’s aggressive expansionist agenda, linking his suppression of the illegal slave trade to his vocal push for the annexation of Cuba and secured transit routes across Central America. By printing this transcript along with reports from various cabinet Secretaries, the New York Herald documented a pivotal juncture where the federal government desperately sought to enforce territorial stability, economic recovery, and party unity, unwittingly setting the stage for the catastrophic partisan breakdown of the 1860 presidential election.