Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) to unknown
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06554 Author/Creator: Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 11 August 1864 Pagination: 1 p. ; 20.8 x 12.9 cm. Order a Copy
Referring to abolition, Sumner declares, "The cause is more than any man- Davis, Wade or Lincoln, & it must be saved. There must be harmony among our friends, & energy- oh my God! Energy in the Good!" Following his signature, continues "Energy in action & in ideas!- both!" Sumner is referring to Henry Winter Davis, Benjamin Franklin Wade, and Abraham Lincoln.
This letter was written roughly one month after the Wade-Davis bill passed both houses of Congress. President Lincoln, whose "Ten Percent Plan" for Reconstruction was more lenient, refused to sign it, angering the Radical Republicans.
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