Six score and nineteen years ago

One hundred and thirty nine years ago today Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most important speeches of his life – one which Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer and others believe propelled Lincoln from the prairies of Illinois onto the path to the White House.

For an overview and the speech itself, see the Abraham Lincoln Online website. But, if you really want to know all about it, you’ll want to read Holzer’s book, Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President.

With more than 30 volumes about Lincoln under his belt, Holzer knows his stuff. When the book came out, it put this speech into the spotlight it's so long deserved. Holzer’s work will continue to shed light on this turning point in Lincoln’s life for years to come.