Rare Lincoln Letter Found in Allentown

AP ^ | July 19, 2006 | AP

[stainlessbanner]

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - July 19, 2006 - A University of Illinois researcher had discovered a fourth copy of a rare letter Abraham Lincoln had written by to the nation's governors in 1861.

The letter John Lupton found Tuesday in the Lehigh County Historical Society's holdings was one Lincoln wrote as part of an unsuccessful ratification process for a constitutional amendment Congress adopted during the term of his predecessor, President James Buchanan, that would have made slavery the law of the land.

The president remembered for abolishing slavery had been willing to push the amendment as "kind of a carrot to the Southern states" if that would preserve the union, said Lupton, associate director of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

"But even by that point, it was too late. By that time, the Southern states felt Lincoln's election was an affront," Lupton said. In fact, the letter discovered in Allentown was addressed to "His Excellency the Governor of the State of Florida," which had seceded from the union two months earlier.

Until Tuesday, only three of the letters were known to have survived. "It's a very cool document," Lupton said.

Joseph Garrera, the historical society director, said he will consult with the society's board to determine the best way to display the document and try to figure out exactly who donated the letter.

[Hacksaw]

Yep. Very slow (imo)...perhaps your myopia with regard to Southern history is getting in the way.

No more that your political correctness is. I've seen plenty of photos on these threads of KKK members marching under the US flag, so your little cut and paste post was for naught. Fact is, you boys don't like southern pride, and it burns you up that you can't do anything about it.

You're no different than the atheists who want to rip down crosses and 10C monuments on public land simply because people like them and you don't. The fact that you ape the rhetoric of the NAACP should clue you in, but it hasn't yet, so why should it now?

Eeeeek!!! Take it down!!!

[stand watie]

actually, most of the residents the new england states have always been SELF-righteous, sanctimonious, SELF-serving, hate-FILLED, elitist & filled with SELF-importance.

they also have always (WRONGLY) believed that they were SUPERIOR to everyone else in the world.

free dixie,sw

[mac_truck]

So your defense of the Confederate flag is to attack me personally?

Maybe it's time to have your [grey] diaper changed sonny...

[stand watie]

first, there is NO more real NAACP.

the NAACP, which i belonged to in the 60s-70s, is no more.

the current organization is ONLY a PARTY-ORGAN of the national DIMocRATS party. i call it the "national association for the advancement of LIBERAL colored people".

fwiw, the VAST majority of AmerIndians were "asked to leave" by the "leadership" of the organization in the early 1980s, as we Indians are (as a group) FAR too conservative & REPUBLICAN for the tastes of the naaLcp "leadership". we were told to "conform or get OUT"!

as for the battleflag of the CSA, it has no more to do with the KKK-idiots than the CROSS of JESUS, the eternal CHRIST, does.

BOTH symbols have been MISUSED over the decades by a variety of LUNATICS, IDIOTS & HATERS.

btw, MOST of the ANTI-southern lunatics out of DAMNyankeeland despise the CROSS just about as much as they do our sacred battleflag.

free dixie,sw

[rustbucket]

Yeah he did, but a white shirt and the Confederate flag are not equivalents are they?

No. Perhaps you feel the CBF is equated with cretins like Wallace. Feel free. The Klan used the Stars and Stripes in the 1920s and even uses it today as do neo-Nazi groups -- I've seen it on television. Are you going to give up using the Stars and Stripes?

Even today the flag is a symbol of segregation, and has no place in public life.

Which flag are you talking about? The Stars and Stripes that flew over Klan rallies and over the country when slavery and segregation was practiced? It flew over such for far longer than the CBF, the flag of the Confederate soldier.

Fly whatever you wish, it's no skin off my nose.

That is why then Gov. George Bush had a plaque with the Confederate flag removed from the side of the Texas state courthouse.

Imagine. A politician in the dead of night taking down a plaque that might derail his presidential chances. Money allocated for Confederate soldiers built the court house. Why didn't Bush tear the building down rather than the plaque that indicated where the money came from?

I'm not sure why you hide from history. History is history, and the flag has an honorable past. I fly it on my home, and it should fly on monuments to Confederate dead wherever they are. It should fly wherever in a state the voters of that state wish. It is up to them, not to you and not to me.

Mississippi voters prefer the CBF to remain a part of their state flag, but the philosophical descendants of Puritans would prevent them if they could. Are you one of those?

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

Yeah. It really makes one wonder how anybody can be taught to regard the self, long before a thought is given to how that action will affect society. And I suppose we see this nasty fact in action with the self-centered societies. They have the most liberal justice systems that don't give a whit about protecting children(or anyone) from predators. And oh by gosh, by golly, much of it resides in The New England states...

[mac_truck]

PART of your problem (with your answer) is that the comment about the KKK not controlling the statehouse, courts and/or state police is that in several states the Klan DID control all three levels of state/local government.

Your acknowedgement that the Klan had infiltrated the highest levels of several southern state governments only strengthens my argument that the Confederate flag is a racist symbol.

Thank you for tying that loose end together.

[stand watie]

TRUE!

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

actually, MOST of the states controlled from TOP to BOTTOM were NOT in dixie, but rather in the so-called "blue states".

thus your argument, such as it is, is BUNK & HOKEM!

btw, we southrons are PLEASED that the NATIONAL HQ of the KKK-IDIOTS is in OHIO!

free dixie,sw

[mac_truck]

Perhaps you feel the CBF is equated with cretins like Wallace. Feel free.

Feelings have NOTHING to do with it. Wallace and many others like him used the Confederate flag as a symbol of their racist agenda in the 1950s & 60s. David Duke is using it today as part of his 'white power' campaign for much the same reason. These historical facts are not in dispute are they?

Are you going to give up using the Stars and Stripes?

I've already addressed the American flag issue upthread. It doesn't change the racist symbolism of the Confederate flag one iota.

Which flag are you talking about?

I'm talking about the flag white Southerns thrust in the face of blacks to symbolize their opposition to civil rights. You know, the Jim Crow flag. The one the Klan politicians tacked up on Southern statehouses and courthouses in the 1950s, to symbolize their heartfelt belief in maintaining a semblance of racial apartheid in the United States hidden behind the gauze of 'state's rights'.

Money allocated for Confederate soldiers built the court house. Why didn't Bush tear the building down rather than the plaque that indicated where the money came from?

Maybe because the Courthouse was built long before some segragationst democrat decided to tack up another symbol of resistance to black civil rights in the 1950s. That's about the same time other Southern states began incorporating Confederate symbols into and onto 'offical' state property. STAND tells us the folks in power were Klan members, but you'd have us believe otherwise I'm sure.

Mississippi voters prefer the CBF to remain a part of their state flag, but the philosophical descendants of Puritans would prevent them if they could.

I'm sure the AME Baptist church would have a laugh at your comparing them to Puritans. But I guess that's just your way of justifying having to run away from the facts of the matter.

Are you one of those?

You claim to be a Republican, but your views on the Confederate flag are indistinguishable from those of the Southern Independence Party. Are you one of those?

-btw I note you FAILED to answer what message the folks on the other side of that police line were supposed to take away from that encounter with those angy white southerners waving their little confederate flags as they protested against black civil rights. Any ideas?

[mac_truck]

actually, MOST of the states controlled from TOP to BOTTOM were NOT in dixie...

Governor of Vermont Wallace

[rustbucket]

Wallace and many others like him used the Confederate flag as a symbol of their racist agenda in the 1950s & 60s. David Duke is using it today as part of his 'white power' campaign for much the same reason.

Those sorts of folks might influence weak minded people. Apparently they have convinced you.

I've already addressed the American flag issue upthread. It doesn't change the racist symbolism of the Confederate flag one iota.

Reduced to calling things racist are you? I thought better of you. My mistake.

I'm talking about the flag white Southerns thrust in the face of blacks to symbolize their opposition to civil rights. You know, the Jim Crow flag. The one the Klan politicians tacked up on Southern statehouses and courthouses in the 1950s, to symbolize their heartfelt belief in maintaining a semblance of racial apartheid in the United States hidden behind the gauze of 'state's rights'.

Funny, I seem to remember race riots in the North and fierce opposition to busing. I guess bigots live everywhere. Right, Pot?

Maybe because the Courthouse was built long before some segragationst democrat decided to tack up another symbol of resistance to black civil rights in the 1950s. That's about the same time other Southern states began incorporating Confederate symbols into and onto 'offical' state property. STAND tells us the folks in power were Klan members, but you'd have us believe otherwise I'm sure.

The citizens of Texas voted in 1954 to use the Confederate Pension fund to build the buildings. What right did a politician decide on his own to remove the plaques? The citizens of Texas voted for "The first major structure erected from the State Building Fund shall be known and designated as a memorial to the Texans who served in the Armed Forces of the Confederate States of America, and shall be devoted to the use and occupancy of the Supreme Court…."

You'll be pleased to know that last month a state appeals court gave the go ahead for the plaque law suit by the SCV.

I'm sure the AME Baptist church would have a laugh at your comparing them to Puritans. But I guess that's just your way of justifying having to run away from the facts of the matter.

You avoided my question. Are you one of the Puritan types who want to tell everybody else how imperfect they are and how things should be done the way they want?

You claim to be a Republican, but your views on the Confederate flag are indistinguishable from those of the Southern Independence Party. Are you one of those?

Got one of these, mac?

Guess not. I forgot you were working to undermine the party by trying, however unsuccessfully, to stigmatize a big group of the Republican base.

-btw I note you FAILED to answer what message the folks on the other side of that police line were supposed to take away from that encounter with those angy white southerners waving their little confederate flags as they protested against black civil rights. Any ideas?

Same thing as the blacks who were bused to school in Boston, I imagine.

[rustbucket]

You claim to be a Republican, but your views on the Confederate flag are indistinguishable from those of the Southern Independence Party. Are you one of those?

Forgot to answer your question. No, I'm not a member of the Southern Independence Party. Never heard of them.

I will ask if you are Republican or perhaps just a Rino? You might be interested in the following from the 2006 Texas Republican Platform (there was a similar platform section in 2004):

Honoring the Symbols of Our American Heritage

We call upon governmental entities to protect monuments, national parks, waterways, cemeteries, and all other symbols of our American heritage from being altered, removed, or placed under international control. We call for the restoration of the plaques honoring the Confederate Widow's Pension Fund that were illegally removed from the Texas Supreme Court and other state buildings.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Apparently Reagan thought highly enough of Lincoln to put in a good word for him in his inauguration address:

"Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln."

The whole world recognizes the greatness of Abraham Lincoln except for a very few who lament the crushing of the slaveowners' evil empire.

The real birth of bloated government came under Woodrow Wilson. a typical Southern Democrat.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

If you're a Republican, here's a book you ought to read:

By the way, that's four of our greatest Republicans on the cover: Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner and Reagan.

Maybe somebody could write a similar book for the Democratic party and put Southern Democrats John C. Calhoun, Jefferson Davis, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton on the cover.

Of course that would leave out additional Dixie bloated government stalwarts such as LBJ, Wilson and Jimmy Carter.

[usmcobra]

SLAVE. A man who is by law deprived of his liberty for life, and becomes the property of another.

Show me the actual law passed by the US Congress, that the 1856 law dictionary quotes.

It doesn't exist. In typical legalese we are told of the law but not shown the law because slaves were basically enslaved by common law practices. Like a man and a woman living together are these days considered a common law, marriage it is a marriage in every sense of the word but not legally formalized.

So was slavery, with the exception of prisoners, there existed no laws on the books that could legally confine, indenture or enslave anyone with a legal reason for doing so. The whole system of slavery was based upon the ignorance and fear of those enslaved created by their masters.

Ask yourself this one question why were there so many cases dealing with runaway slaves and yet no cases tried on the ultimate legality of slavery?

Because everytime it was attempted it was easier to "free" the slave then to try the legality of slavery, those cases dealing with runaway slaves were the only way to get the issue into the courts and tried.

[4CJ]

Show me the actual law passed by the US Congress, that the 1856 law dictionary quotes.

Still haven't got a clue about federalism I see.

There is no FEDERAL law. Just as I wrote earlier, their is no FEDERAL law codifying marriage either - the issues are not federal, but for each state to codify/enumerate. The power to codify marriage/slavery/building codes/voting methods/education/traffic laws and myriad others was NEVER delegated to the federal government.

Again, as I stated above, the federal govenrnment, via the Constitution specifically protected the slave trade and slavery.

But if you want specifics about state laws, look at Illinois, which codified slavery under the guise of 'indentured servitude' as a punishment to blacks ONLY for having the termerity to enter the state. If they did not leave, they were fined $50 and up (a huge sum at the time), and upon failing to pay that were sold at auction to the highest bidder for a period of years. Any white person bringing a black into the state could be fined several hundrds of dollars, with earlier Illinois laws proscribing between 25-39 lashes for any white person bringing blacks into the state.

[rustbucket]

Is that you, Zak? I thought the Mods got on to you about hawking your book.

[4CJ]

The whole world recognizes the greatness of Abraham Lincoln except for a very few who lament the crushing of the slaveowners' evil empire.

Hitler recognized Lincoln's 'greatness'.

I think that Reagan was referred more to Lincoln's rise to the Presidency from a poor (*some allege illegitimate since his father had been castrated) birth, than to some specious/mythological divine attribution that Lincoln cultists are want to ascribe.

* William Herndon - Linoln's longtime friend and law partner, wrote in 'The Hidden Lincoln' that Lincoln himself stated that Lincoln was illegimate. The Abbeville Courthouse in Greenville SC has a affidavit witnessed by Thomas Lincoln, making $100 per year 'to be paid to Nancy Hanks, for the support of an illegitimate son born February 12, 1809.' Guess what Lincoln's birthday is? Now guess who the PAYOR (father) of the child was - John C. Calhoun.

President Reagan also stated that Jefferson Davis was a 'hero of mine.'

[rustbucket]

Show me the actual law passed by the US Congress, that the 1856 law dictionary quotes.

Don't you read posts addressed to you? 4CJ explained that to you above. As he said, it was a matter of state law, like marriage.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/1705.html

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:88D_Z89HxD4J:www.ambrosevideo.com/resources/docs/143.PDF+slave+codes+1705&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3&ie=UTF-8

Here is an example of one of the colonial laws (Maryland) that continued to be practiced after the US was formed:

That if any free negro or mulatto intermarry with any white woman, or if any white man shall intermarry with any negro or mulatto woman, such negro or mulatto shall become a slave during life, excepting mulattoes born of white women, who, for such intermarriage shall only become servants for seven years, to be disposed of as the justices of the county court where such marriage so happens, shall think fit, to be applied by them towards the support of a public school, within the said county, and any white man or white woman who shall intermarry, as aforesaid, with any negro or mulatto, such white man or white woman shall become servants during the term of seven years, and shall be disposed by the justices as aforesaid, and be applied to the uses aforesaid.