Printed and Manuscript Americana

"Thus it is that though the subject of Slavery is constantly agitating the minds of the people, and their opinions are wholly at variance, yet there are many important elements which tend to bind them together. And we are hoping for a time when these elements shall so combine as to form one universal sentiment with regard to Slavery. When the North shall not only use their voices, but their hearts and their money if necessary in behalf of the oppressed. When the South shall not only feel the injustice of their 'peculiar institution' but shall see that interest alone requires them to unite in making this a truly free and independent nation."

Hancock, Massachusetts, July 4, 1860. Manuscript speech on 13 pp., plus manuscript title-page (largely rectos only). Scattered soiling.

On the eve of the Civil War, the residents of Hancock, Massachusetts celebrate the Fourth of July, providing a fascinating snapshot of northern sentiment a year before the great national conflict. With impassioned language, the unattributed orator celebrates the nation's 84th birthday, while calling for the Union's ongoing need to become become more perfect and live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

The Berkshire County Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) of July 5, 1860, reported that "Pic nics were the order of the day in this region on the fourth, and we had only to regret that we could not be present at a half dozen instead of two. At Richmond, a charming and spirited pic nic came off. So also at Hancock." The Civil War itself dealt a severe blow to the Fourth of July holiday. After the war, white southerners were no longer eager to observe the holiday, and in the North, interest in the traditional ceremonies also declined, although it experienced a revival at the centennial in 1876.