Speak Forcefully

A President Who Can Actually Speak

[Before] his nomination in 1860, Lincoln [made] several public appearances. [In] February of that year, he gave a speech in New York City that cleared an important obstacle to the presidency. His performance at Cooper Union on Feb. 27 convinced New York Republicans that Lincoln, a Westerner with no formal education, could speak as well as anyone in the East, and was a better candidate for the presidency than New York's own Sen. William Henry Seward.

posted by majqa @ 4:29 PM