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Abraham Lincoln's last public speech & last proclamation...
Abraham Lincoln's last public speech & last proclamation...
Item # 703906
April 12, 1865
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, April 12, 1865 (price reduced due to condition)
* Civil War is over speech
* Abraham Lincoln's last public speech
* Presidential proclamation 128
* Just 2 days before his assassination
The front page has one column heads including: "RECONSTRUCTION" "Important Speech by the President" "His Views On Peace & Reconstruction".
The text of Lincoln's speech begins: "We meet this evening not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart. The evacuation of Petersburgh & Richmond & the surrender of the principal insurgent army, give hopes of a righteous & speedy peace whose joyous expression cannot be restrained..." & carrying on to take well over a full column.
This is recorded in history as the very last public speech by Lincoln, who would be assassinated 2 days after the printing of this issue.
Also on the front page is: "A Proclamation" "Treatment of National Vessels of Foreign Powers" (his last proclamation - #128) concerning our ships of war in foreign ports, signed by him in type: Abraham Lincoln.
These two documents are both dated April 11.
Page 4 has editorial commentary on both the Proclamation and the speech.
Eight pages, there is folding rubbing to the front page which does cause some loss to the Lincoln speech (see the photos), and a small wormhole thru each leaf that does not affect mentioned content.
AI notes: On April 11, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his final public speech from the White House, addressing the nation's future following the Civil War. Rather than celebrating victory, he focused on the challenges of Reconstruction, using Louisiana’s efforts to rejoin the Union as a model. Most notably, Lincoln expressed support for limited Black suffrage, specifically for educated Black men and those who had served in the Union Army. This marked a significant public stance on racial equality, which enraged white supremacists. Among the crowd was John Wilkes Booth, who reportedly decided that night to assassinate Lincoln, which he did just three days later.
Category: The Civil War
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