![]() ![]() He avoided a speech by asking the band to play Dixie instead. But he hadn't prepared a statement in advance and feared the "right" words would fail him on such an important occasion. ![]() The night of the surrender at Appomattox he appeared at the White House window to cheering throngs and military bands. ![]() Unless he had prepared and practiced in advance, he usually declined. He did it, but he didn't like it.Īfter he was elected President, he was often called on to speak. Even though he became famous debating with Stephen Douglas, for Lincoln, debating was different than direct public speaking. Believe it or not, Abraham Lincoln had the same fears most of us have about speaking in public.Īs a lawyer, he memorized his court arguments ahead of time, and he practiced out loud, so loud that once his wife threw him out of the house. The Smithsonian Associates Civil War E-Mail Newsletter, Volume 4, Number 6Ībraham Lincoln was the most skillful writer of his age. "It takes me about three weeks to write an impromptu speech" - Mark Twain ![]()
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