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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC06647 |
| From Archive Folder | Unassociated Civil War Documents 1865 |
| Title | Salmon P. Chase to Josiah G. Holland recalling the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation |
| Date | 2 February 1865 |
| Author | Chase, Salmon P. (Salmon Portland) (1808-1873) |
| Recipient | Holland, Josiah G. |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Chief Justice Chase, former Secretary of the Treasury under President Lincoln, recalls that Lincoln's first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet on 22 September [1862] was preceded by his reading aloud a chapter from Artemus Ward. Writes that he is inclined to have Lincoln's remarks sent to the recipient, "Nothing prevents save some doubt whether it can be properly done even in confidence. They do honor to him as a man, a patriot & a statesman - great honor." Letter is only addressed to "dear sir." Recipient inferred. |
| Subjects | President Emancipation Proclamation Emancipation Slavery African American History Lincoln's Cabinet Humor and Satire Presidential Speeches and Proclamations |
| People | Chase, Salmon Portland (1808-1873) Holland, Josiah (1819-1881) Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | The American Civil War; The Presidency; Government & Politics; Slavery & Abolition |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Holland was the author of The Life of Abraham Lincoln, 1866. Artemus Ward, pseudonym of Charles Farrar Browne, was an American humorist who, in 1858, began a series of "Artemus Ward's Letters." In these letters Brown satirically discusses current events. Ward was one of Lincoln's favorite authors, and before presenting the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet, he read out loud a portion of "Outrage in Utiky," where it is said he laughed hysterically. Obviously Lincoln was under great stress and used humor as an outlet. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |