In 2022 a remarkable book was published in that it contains Abraham Lincoln’s own words and thoughts, “by Abraham Lincoln: His 1858 Time Capsule“. The basis of this publication is a hand-written document, including tipped-in news clippings, that Lincoln drafted at the request of fellow Republican, Capt. James N. Brown. Brown had been a longtime Illinois State Representative who been elected in 1840, 1842, 1846 and 1852 as a Whig. He was a strong promotor and nurturer of Illinois’ agriculture growth and, as such, started the Illinois Board of Agriculture and the first “Great Illinois State Fair”.

By 1957, however, Capt. Brown had announced his switch from the Whig party to the new and growing Republican Party, even calling himself a Lincoln Republican. This change put his re-election in jeopardy due to the party’s antislavery and Black equality connotations. While Brown was running for office, Lincoln offered him excerpts from Lincoln’s own speeches to help, but Brown didn’t think it was enough. In response, Lincoln handed over his own notes in a 6 x 3 notebook, adding other commentary in the form of an eight-page letter.

The book’s editor, Ross E. Heller, states, “It was October 18 in the waning days of Lincoln’s Senatorial campaign against Stephen A. Douglas when Capt. James N. Brown, a fellow campaigner and personal friend, beseeched him for a clear statement on the “paramount issue” of the day: “Negro equality”. Lincoln acceded, annotating what he called a ‘scrapbook’ with news clips and a definitive 8-page letter.”

Brown Went Down, but…

Well, regardless, it didn’t go so well for Brown – he lost his election bid. According to Clinton L. Conkling (a Springfield, Illinois attorney who knew Lincoln), “(T)he prejudices of the voters, very many of whom had come from Kentucky, were too strong to be overcome, and Captain Brown was defeated.”

A facsimile of this, Lincoln’s only book, was published in 1901, but is a rare book and difficult to find. When Heller discovered that the copyright had expired on the 1901 book, he decided to reprint it with some extra commentary and information. He felt it was important reading for those who are interested in, as Doris Kearns Goodwin puts it: Lincoln’s “complex moral journey to Emancipation.”

Heller notes: “As the book’s title indicates, the scrapbook’s contents are a valuable treasure—a true time capsule capturing Lincoln’s political pragmatism on race relations; a time capsule our generation has the privilege to open 164+ years later.” His book can be purchased HERE in hardback or soft cover.

Ross E. Heller, an author, editor and publisher, was a former journalist, U.S. Senate press secretary, lobbyist, association executive, entrepreneur and newspaper publisher. The original notebook in Lincoln’s hand resides at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

References

1. Heller, Ross E., “Lincoln In His Own Words: The 16th President’s Musings About ‘Negro Equality’”, Historynet, September 11, 2023, https://www.historynet.com/lincolns-early-views-slavery/
2. Heller, Ross E., email dated March 22, 2024 to sandiegocwrt@gmail.com
3. “James N. Brown, founder of Illinois State Fair”, SangamonLink, February 21, 2022, https://sangamoncountyhistory.org/wp/?p=14669
4. Carouthers, Peggy, I”n Lincoln’s Own Words Handwritten LIncoln Book To Resurface This Fall“, August 29, 2022, FineBooks & Collections, https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/lincolns-own-words