Significance - Part 2

With these qualifications in mind, let's look at the mentions of Mr. Lincoln made in American newspapers during the month immediately following his speech at the Cooper Institute. According to the database of digitized newspaper maintained online at the Library of Congress, during the period from February 28, 1860 through March 29, 1860, the phrase "Abraham Lincoln" appeared on 30 of 3001 pages published by 96 newspapers. (The numbers omit 95 pages published by two newspapers in Hawaii and one newspaper in Puerto Rico, which were not American territories at the time.) During the same period, 220 pages used the phrase "Mr. Seward" and 222 used the phrase "Mr. Douglas", the manner in which newspapers of the day referred to Senator William H. Seward and Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

These mentions of Mr. Lincoln included the following:

• 2 brief articles stating that Mr. Lincoln had spoken in New York City.
• 2 lengthy articles describing the event at the Cooper Institute – one focused on the remarks of William Cullen Bryant who introduced Mr. Lincoln, and the other focused on Mr. Lincoln's remarks.
• 2 reprints of an article from the New York Tribune that appeared before the speech and sketched Mr. Lincoln's biography.
• articles critical of Mr. Lincoln for accepting $200 for speaking at the Cooper Institute.
• 3 articles stating that some members of Congress had used their frank to send into the southern states thousands reprints of a speech given by Mr. Lincoln in 1859 stating that Senator Douglas was not a friend of the north.
• 2 lengthy articles discussing the candidates for the Republican nomination.
• 5 brief articles listing the possible candidates for the Republican nomination.
• 1 letter to the New York Tribune discussing politics in Ohio.
• 1 article critical of the Republicans as a sectional party.
• 1 lengthy article about Mr. Lincoln reprinted from the Chicago Press & Tribune.
• 2 lengthy articles printing verbatim a speech given by Senator Douglas in the Senate several weeks earlier concerning John Brown's invasion of Virginia.
• 7 brief advertisements in the pages of the New York Tribune offering for sale printed copies of Mr. Lincoln's remarks at the Cooper Institute.

All such databases have limitations. Only 96 newspapers were represented, yet the 1860 census stated that hundreds of publications of a "political" nature were then in print. The search of the database returned a false positive that had been misclassified as to date, and it failed to return the New York Tribune for the day after the speech, which carried the full text of Mr. Lincoln's remarks.

Notwithstanding the limitations of the source, the evidence indicates several conclusions. Mr. Lincoln's remarks at the Cooper Institute did not "go viral." Mr. Lincoln was not a national unknown before the speech, although there was a desire among the public (gauged by what editors chose to print) to know more about him. He had been working in Illinois to gain support to become the Republicans' presidential nominee, and he was included in the list of contenders. While Mr. Lincoln was not on a par with Senator Seward or Senator Douglas as a national celebrity, Senator Douglas and his congressional allies considered Mr. Lincoln a prominent spokesman for the Republicans and sought to use his words against him for political advantage. Senator Douglas no doubt regarded Mr. Lincoln as a more immediate political threat since they both resided in Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln won history's trifecta: he was elected as the sixteenth president of the United States, he led the nation to victory in the Civil War, and he brought about the end of slavery in America. For these reasons the details of his life and career are of great interest to us. If Mr. Lincoln had not become president, he would not have become the commander in chief or the Great Emancipator, and we should have far less interest in him today. In that case, his remarks at the Cooper Institute would be just another of the many eloquent statements of the era against slavery and the expansion of slavery into the territories.

There is no question that his speech at the Cooper Institute improved his chances of becoming the Republican Party's nominee by making a favorable impression on party insiders and influential members of the press in New York City. This was important because New York possessed a large electoral vote and was the home state of Senator Seward who was regarded as the leading contender for the Republican nomination. The speech expanded and enhanced the national reputation Mr. Lincoln already possessed. The evidence does not support the assertion that it made him a national celebrity.

In the case of true greatness like Mr. Lincoln's, the impulse to over-sell him is understandable.