Description
On August 20, 1862, the influential editor of the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley, published an open letter to President Abraham Lincoln under the heading "The Prayer of Twenty Millions." In it, he accused Lincoln of not faithfully executing recent laws passed by Congress that included emancipation provisions, most notably the Second Confiscation Act passed only a month earlier. Overall, he challenged Lincoln to be less compromising to the border states and their desire to protect slavery and called on him to acknowledge that the destruction of slavery was the key to winning the war. Lincoln responded with his own open letter two days later, plainly stating that his chief objective was to save the Union and all decisions made regarding slavery were made in pursuit of that goal.
Transcript of Letter from President Abraham Lincoln to Horace Greeley
Printable Excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln to Horace Greeley
Source-Dependent Questions
- How did President Abraham Lincoln address Horace Greeley's accusation that he had not taken bold enough action to destroy the institution of slavery in order to defeat the Confederacy?
- How did Lincoln’s "official" position on slavery as president differ from his personal position? Why would Lincoln end his letter by sharing such a distinction?
- Greeley's critique of Lincoln's handling of slavery was titled "The Prayer of Twenty Millions." Create a title for Lincoln's letter based on your understanding of his position on slavery and its relation to his overall goal.
Citation Information
Lincoln, Abraham, "To Hon. Horace Greeley," Muscatine Weekly Journal, pp. 4, 29 August 1862. Courtesy of Library of Congress