LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865) Message of the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Seventh Congress. July 5, 1861. 37th Congress. 1st Session. Ex. Doc. No.1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1861.8vo (250 x 154 mm). 111pp. (Some light overall browning.) Includes Lincoln's message dated and sent to Congress on July 4, 1861 (but read on July 5, 1861) in which he outlines the events that ignited the war, shares his view on the role of the government, and presents his rationale in defense of the Union. AN INTRIGUING ASSOCIATION COPY: George Curtis, a noted orator, delivered his "Doctrine of Liberty" address to the Phi Beta Kappa society at Harvard in 1862 on behalf of President Lincoln encouraging support of the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1863, he became the political editor at Harper's Weekly. Monaghan 105.