Abraham Lincoln's Visit

Abraham Lincoln's Visit. Making a run for the Presidential nomination and developing a campaign platform in Troy. , "If I went West, I think I would go to Kansas-to Leavenworth or Atchison. Both of them are, and will continue to be, fine growing places." , , Abraham Lincoln, "Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." , -Speech Excerpt, Abraham Lincoln, November 30, 1859 , Lincoln arrives at the St. Joseph, Missouri train station. He crosses the Missouri River by ferry and enters the town of Elwood. In the evening he delivers a speech at the Great Western Hotel condemning the institution of slavery., December 1 , On a bitterly cold morning, Lincoln travels in an open carriage to Troy where he speaks for nearly two hours. Later he travels about ten miles to Doniphan and gives another speech., December 2 , Lincoln is driven to Atchison where that evening, he addresses a large crowd at the Methodist Church for two hours and 20 minutes. News is received of abolitionist John Brown's execution earlier in the day., December 3 , A brass band and local dignitaries greet Lincoln in Leavenworth Speaking at Stockton Hall, he repeats that slavery is wrong bút says, "we are not trying to destroy it. The peace of society, and the structure of our government both require that we should let it alone" in states where it already existed December 4 Lincoln visits a distant relative, Mrs. Mark Delahay, and her husband at their Leavenworth home., December 5 , Lincoln's final speech in Kansas occurs in Leavenworth. He mentions the election for state officers under the Wyandotte Constitution that would occur the following day., Cooper Union Address , Lincoln gave the Cooper Union Address at New York City's Cooper Union on February 27, 1860, a few months after his visit to Troy and a few months before the Republican Convention. At the time, Lincoln was far from being a leading candidate but this hour-and-a-half speech helped catapult Lincoln to the national forefront. Many historians attribute it to contributing to his victory later that year., Lincoln carefully researched the speech, delivering it with the precision of a lawyer, In it, Lincoln explained his desire to prevent the westward expansion of slavery. He also argued against Stephen A. Douglas' claims that Democrats were conservative, arguing that most of the Founding Fathers agreed with halting the spread of slavery. While the speech was one of his longest, it was well-argued, logical, and effective, making it an instant success., In 1860, Lincoln became president, though he did not win any of Kansas' six votes at the Republican National Convention. During his trip to Kansas, Lincoln traveled the farthest west he would in his lifetime.