We often contend that the next election could be the most important in history—and sometimes it is. 1860 was just such an election year. On this evening in 1860, Abraham Lincoln made his famous speech at the Cooper Union on Manhattan's Lower East Side (renamed "The East Village" a century later). This 90 minute speech clinched Lincoln's win in the Republican primary three months later (against New York's own William Seward). It also promoted Lincoln from a regional player to a national contender. Without the Cooper Union address, Lincoln may not have won the Republican primary (and, therefore, not won the presidency). Imagine the Nation's course—and the fates of so many people—had a different president taken office.
Lincoln recognized that this golden opportunity could become a turning-point in his presidential campaign. He researched his speech thoroughly and shaped it carefully. He even bought himself an expensive $100 suit for the occasion (worth $4,000 in today's currency). Though Lincoln remained gangly, awkward and shrill (a $100 suit can only do so much), his audience was highly impressed by the reasoning, intellectual force and lawyerly precision of his speech. Lincoln laid-out his policy that slavery should not move westward, as new states were being admitted into the Union. He showed his audience that the Founding Fathers would have supported this approach—and convinced them of it. Though this speech is seldom quoted (it is appreciated for its intelligence, not its oratorical flourishes), it was significant because it was effective. Importantly, the influential newspaper publisher (and political kingmaker), Horace Greeley, was in the audience that night. He hated Seward and threw his paper's support behind Lincoln.
Initially, Lincoln had been invited to speak at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights. Only after Lincoln arrived in New York City was the location changed to the Cooper Union in Manhattan. Lincoln quickly re-worked his thoroughly-researched and well-crafted speech to appeal to an audience in a more secular venue. During the day, before heading to Cooper Union, Lincoln sat for his famous portrait by the pioneering photographer Matthew Brady. The session was held in Brady's temporary studio at 643 Broadway (at Bleecker Street) while an impressive new, permanent studio was being completed at 785 Broadway (at East Tenth Street). I suppose that Lincoln wore his new $100 suit for the landmark photo. It was Lincoln's first sitting with Brady, with several more to come over the next four years. This photo captured Lincoln standing—commandingly, left hand on a book—and it became very popular (and frequently reproduced). After the election, Lincoln is quoted as saying, "Brady and the Cooper Institute made me president."
The Cooper Union had been founded a year earlier, in 1859, by the wealthy New York City inventor, industrialist and philanthropist, Peter Cooper (who produced the first American steam locomotive). Cooper based his new school on the École polytechnique in France, the government-supported school of science and engineering. Cooper designated that the institution "equal the best technology schools established" and that it provide a free education for any admitted student, regardless of race, religion, sex, wealth or social status. Until 2014, Cooper Union continued to provide full scholarships to all students. Today, about half of the admitted students study for free—and, currently, every student enjoys a tuition-free senior year. Fields of study include architecture, art and engineering (supported with required courses in humanities and the social sciences).
The cast iron bookends, shown above, capture the 16th President in profile. They were cast in the 1920's or 1930's—some six decades after Lincoln was assassinated. Even today, Lincoln is usually regarded as America's greatest president. He is certainly America's favorite Republican president—and there's little chance he'll lose that title any time soon. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
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