Abraham Lincoln  "The Orator"  February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865

Young Abraham Lincoln earned fame as an orator and debater when he served as an attorney and politician in Illinois. Despite his high-pitched voice and western twang, Lincoln was an accomplished impromptu stump speaker and entertained the crowds with jokes and stories while he promoted his political policies. According to his law partner, William H. Herndon, Lincoln used very theatrical gestures and intonations. To emphasize a point, said one observer, Lincoln would "bend his knees so they would almost touch the platform, and then... shoot himself to full height, emphasizing his utterances in a very forcible manner." "when the sentiment was one of detestation, denunciation of slavery for example," recalled Herndon, "both arms, thrown upward and fists clenched, swept through the air. This was one of his most effective gestures."

After Lincoln became president, he made very few speeches. He had learned that as president, his every word was recorded, and that the best way to avoid putting one's foot in one's mouth was to keep the mouth closed. "Abe is becoming more grave", noted Vanity Fair. "He don't construct as many jokes as he did. He fears that he will get things mixed up if he don't look out." When called upon to make an impromptu speech, Lincoln often declined, explaining: "Every word is so closely noted that it will not do to make trivial ones. If I were as I have been most of my life, I might perhaps talk amusing to you for half an hour, and it wouldn't hurt anybody." When Lincoln did speak off the cuff, he often said the wrong thing, as when he told an Ohio crowd during the secession crisis that "there is nothing going wrong... nothing that really hurts anybody."

Over the four years of his presidency, Lincoln made a mere 95 speeches, most of which were brief greetings to foreign dignitaries and routine formalities. Lincoln's best speeches were written during the Civil War. The Gettysburg Address, which was received without great enthusiasm by its audience, is now considered one of the great inspiring compositions in American heritage.

Fascinating Fact:  Lincoln once told a critical Ohio crowd, "If... you find you have made a mistake, elect a better man next time. There are plenty of them."


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