The Prayer of Twenty Millions - Introduction

       On August 19, 1862, Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, published an open letter, entitled The Prayer of Twenty Millions, urging  Lincoln to free the slaves. Mr. Greeley held the opinion, as did many, that given the Confederacy's dependence on slave labor, emancipation of the slaves would strike a telling blow to the Southern economy.  In response to the editorial, Lincoln stated that his main purpose was to preserve the Union, and, to achieve that goal, he was prepared to free none, some, or all of the slaves, as the ultimate goal demanded.  Lincoln's cabinet had already been in discussion concerning the Emancipation Proclamation, since July.  Lincoln had decided to await a Union victory on the battlefield before issuing his proclamation. He believed it was necessary to issue the Proclamation from a position of strength, such as following a great victory. Linked at left is Greeley's original article as published and directly following that is Lincoln's reply. As always, my analysis and commentary will follow later this week.