Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President

Lincoln at Cooper Union explores Lincoln's most influential and widely reported pre-presidential address - an extraordinary appeal by the western politician to the eastern elite that propelled him toward the Republican nomination for president. Delivered in New York in February 1860, the Cooper Union speech dispelled doubts about Lincoln's suitability for the presidency and reassured conservatives of his moderation while reaffirming his opposition to slavery to Republican progressives.