[ABOLITION-CIVIL WAR] New York Tribune feat. Frederick Douglass' "Mission of the War" lecture, 1864.

New York Tribune. Vol. XXIII, No. 7106. New York, NY, 14 January 1864. 8pp., folio, 15 3/4 x 20 7/8 in. Partially disbound.

Alongside numerous headlines promising war updates from various locations including Tennessee, Fortress Monroe, Richmond, Matamoras, and others, the headline for Frederick Douglass's lecture, "The Mission of the War" features prominently at the top of the far right column. Below is presented a complete printing of the famous speech given at the Cooper Union Institute in New York City on 13 January 1864. The speech was part of a lecture series and was sponsored by the Woman's Loyal League. Douglass used the speech to contribute to the ongoing debate about the meaning and purpose of the Civil War. He argued that the war should be fought to a decisive conclusion and that the result should be a constitutional commitment to racial equality. He rejected the idea of returning to the pre-Civil War status quo. He insisted that the war was a war for the Constitution and the Union, but that it was primarily a war to abolish slavery.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.