Excerpt from American Patriotism: Speeches, Letters, and Other Papers Which Illustrate the Foundation, the Development, the Preservation of the Untied States of America

The design of this compilation is to present a. Sheaf of ripened grain grown on American soil; to include the noblest specimens of the learning, and eloquence, and wisdom, and patriotism of those who, by the judgment (bf their own time and the concurrent verdict of posterity have been recognized as the foremost men and the clearest thinkers in the growing state. Such sheaves have been garnered before; But the later events, hardly'yet rounded into completeness, furnish to the reaper a broader field, upturned by the tillage of war, Whence has Sprung a new harvest of glorious and abounding gram not less'pre'cious than that oft reaped before. This work' has naturally classified itself into three parts: thefirst including papers which illustrate the formative period of the nation's history - culminating in the 'revolution; the second, those produced in a ti he, not at all of inaction, but (bf vigor ous and healthful yet of peaceful development; the third, those poured forth in hot and tumultuous haste, blazing with patriotic fire, when the Rebellion was earthquake, and tempest, and pestilence in one. Fol lowing the papers in the chronological order of their arrangement, one may trace in the first period the progress of public thought; the hope and Wish that wrongs might be righted within the pale of the colonial system; doubts of success ripening into conviction that separation was imperative; lofty purpose culminating in the Declaration of Indepen dence; the period closing with the glorious sunset 0'f the great corn mander. Guided bv no sucn sequence of ideas and events in the second period, we Simply include several of its historic papers, match less in eloquence and Wisdom. In the third period, recognizing the fact that the real cause of strife was the cancer of human Slavery, We have arranged, also in the order of time, papers which illustrate the growth of public opinion; the enl ghtenment of the public conscience.

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