On the recordJanuary 27, 1837
We toiled not in the acquirement or the establishment of them; they are a legacy bequeathed to us by a once hardy, brave, and patriotic, but now lamented and departed race of ancestors.
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gutenberg.orgAbraham Lincoln: “We toiled not in the acquirement or the establishment of them; they are a legacy bequeathed to us by a once hardy…”
Editor's note · Context
In his Lyceum Address, Lincoln reflects on the legacy of American institutions, emphasizing they were inherited, not earned by the current generation.
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Grant that he desires the elective franchise, will he not attain it sooner by saving the already advanced steps towards it, than by running backward over them?
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If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.
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If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business.
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