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Document 1 - Letter to Charles Ray, June 28, 1858

My dear Sir,

 

How in God’s name do you let such paragraphs into the Tribune, as the enclosed cut from that paper of yesterday? Does Sheahan write them? How can you have failed to perceive that in this short paragraph you have completely answered all your own well put complaints of Greely [Greeley] and Sister Burlingame? What right have you to interfere in Indiana, more than they in Illinois? And what possible argument can be made why all Republicans shall stand out of Hon. John G. Davis’s way in his district in Indiana that can not be made why all Republicans in Illinois shall stand out of Hon. S.A. Douglas’s way? The part in larger type is plainly editorial, and your editorial at that, as you do not credit it to any other paper. I confess it astonishes me.

 

Yours truly, A. Lincoln.

Burlingame
Douglas
Greeley

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See further analysis below

Abraham Lincoln was a major party leader for the Republican Party and as such he felt the need to control the media.

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Charles Ray was the editor of a Republican leaning newspaper that had just praised a Democrat and close ally to his chief rival Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln was not happy with their decision

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In this letter, which would be indicitive of his power over the press throughout his career (especially during the Civil War), Lincoln admonished Ray for his actions; truly showing the influence he had over politics at the time.

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How does this letter represent Lincoln's leadership skills and how he pushed policy?

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Consider:

  • Context

  • Audience

  • Point of View

  • Purpose

"The newspapers at this time functioned and worked closely with party members and leaders to cultivate and manipulate a political message (Holzer 10). Newspapers were openly partisan; having an article like this published must have infuriated Lincoln because it ran the risk of setting back the hard-earned political capital his party had just received in the 1856 and 1858 elections (Horrocks et al. 32-33). Endorsing a Democrat, supported by his chief rival amounted to a slap in the face and his tone is jarring throughout the short letter to Ray. This side of him may not have appeared much publically, but it surely was a major part and necessary function of his position leading a party and staying politically important.

This was a side of Lincoln seen repeatedly throughout the Civil War as he consistently showed a willingness to manipulate (and often silence) newspapers when an inconsistent or threatening message was presented. When the Copperheads threatened his reelection in 1864 and when his political existence was vulnerable, Lincoln silenced many dissident voices by closing down anti-war newspapers and those who questioned his decisions as commander in chief (Holzer 423).  Publically of course, this was to eliminate loud discourse in a time when the country needed unity, but it also was an astute portrayal of his ability to lead the party and control the press."

 - Shawn d'Anunciacao

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