The Fathers and Saviors of Our Country: A Presidential Sale

3 pp., 4to (318 x 203 mm). Disbound. (Toning near gutter, some splits along folds, penciled notations on both recto and verso of last page.)

Abraham Lincoln's interest in canal improvements dated back to his days working on flatboats in 1828 and 1831. It was during these trips that Lincoln is said to have had his first direct exposure to the horrors of slavery. In addition to shaping his views on this "peculiar institution," these trips also impressed upon Lincoln the necessity of easily transporting goods from one place to another in a country that had yet to develop any organized infrastructure. Canal and infrastructure development would prove to be one of Lincoln's pet causes throughout his political career.

In late 1852, a group of contractors filed a claim against the state of Illinois for nonpayment for labor on the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. Abraham Lincoln was one of three special commissioners tasked with investigating the contractors' claims. Throughout the fall, they held hearings in towns along the canal route, including Ottawa, Joliet, and Chicago. Their final report was submitted in January 1853.