David J. Kent

During Abraham Lincoln’s first year in New Salem he joined a pretentiously named Literary and Debating Society, which was actually an informal discussion group run by James Rutledge. Rutledge was a well-respected leader in town, father of ten children, and proprietor of an inn, Rutledge’s Tavern. He also had an extensive personal library of nearly thirty books, and this became one of Lincoln’s favorite hangouts.

By this time Lincoln was well known as someone ready with a funny story or ribald joke, but in his first debating effort he surprised the audience with a thoughtful, well-reasoned, analytical presentation. Rutledge was impressed, later telling his wife that “there was more in Abe’s head than wit and fun, that he was already a fine speaker; and that all he lacked was culture to enable him to reach the high destiny which he knew was in store for him.”

Reaction from townspeople was so positive that in March 1832 Lincoln put his name into contention for the Illinois state legislature. He composed a lengthy announcement titled “Communication to the People of Sangamo County,” which was published in the Sangamo Journal. In it he laid out his political philosophy, which was astonishingly rounded for a 23-year-old man raised on frontier farms. That philosophy largely mimed the American System originated under Alexander Hamilton and promoted by Henry Clay, whom Lincoln later eulogized as his “beau ideal of a statesman.”

The American System was an economic philosophy premised on three mutually reinforcing pillars: a high protective tariff, a national bank, and federal subsidies for internal improvements (roads, canals, railroads). The goal was to facilitate the development of transportation infrastructure and strong markets, particularly for rural farmers who were cut off from much of the market economy. While a stable two-party system had not yet fully developed, the American System quickly became the mainstay of the Whig party in opposition to the policies of Democratic President Andrew Jackson. Lincoln later asserted he “had always been a Whig” (that is, until he was a Republican).

In response to local concerns, Lincoln noted he was not (yet) in favor of railroads because their costs outweighed the benefits. But referring to his own experience on flatboats, he strongly supported improvements to the navigability of the Sangamon River, which was so important to New Salem. Presaging his future as an analytical thinker, Lincoln went into great depth in his discussion of why river navigation presented a more efficient economic opportunity than railroads. He also spoke up against usury, the loaning of money at exorbitant interest rates, and emphasized the importance of central banking. Finally, while not dictating any specific system, he stressed that education was “the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in,” stating that his wish was that “every man may receive at least, a moderate education.”

This was an extraordinary treatise for a man who had only recently moved into the county. Lincoln mentioned that his “peculiar ambition” was to be “truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem,” but also seemed to understand that he had a slim chance of winning a seat, noting “if elected [the independent voters of this county] will have conferred a favor upon me,” but that if he lost he had “been too familiar with disappointments to be very much chagrined.”

He lost.

It is not clear whether Lincoln was chagrined over this loss. Immediately after publishing his announcement to enter the race, he volunteered for service in the Black Hawk War. This left him only a few weeks upon his return to canvass the outer portions of the county, while his many competitors had the entire summer. On a positive note, he won 277 of the 300 votes cast in New Salem. This was testament to his popularity in the short time he had lived in the village, especially considering that support came from a precinct that overwhelming voted for Jackson’s reelection that year (Lincoln was well-known backer of Jackson’s opponent, Henry Clay). In his 1860 Presidential campaign biography, Lincoln took solace in the fact that this was the only time he was ever “beaten on a direct vote of the people.” It would not, however, be the last time he lost an election.

[Adapted from Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America]

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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