State of the Union Addresses

by Abraham Lincoln

"State of the Union Addresses by Abraham Lincoln" is a collection of presidential addresses delivered between 1861-1864. Lincoln's first address came nine months into the Civil War, as the nation faced its greatest crisis. He declared peaceful preservation of the Union impossible after Fort Sumter's assault and addressed military leadership changes, foreign relations, and Supreme Court vacancies. The speech sparked controversy when excerpts leaked to newspapers before Congress received it, triggering an investigation that eventually implicated the First Lady and led Lincoln to become the first sitting president to testify before Congress.