Item #44432 Speech of Gerrit Smith, In Congress, on the Reference of the President's Message. December 20, 1853. Gerrit Smith.

Speech of Gerrit Smith, In Congress, on the Reference of the President's Message. December 20, 1853.

Washington, D. C. Buell and Blanchard, Printers, 1853. 15 pp. 8vo. Self wrappers. First edition. Folded, worn extremities, first and last leaves detached, punch holes along inner margin, light soiling and toning, ink bleed to top corner of first two leaves, still about good. Sabin 82658. Dumond 103. LCP. Afro-Americana, 2nd ed. Suppl. 2123. Item #44432

Smith uses the case of Martin Koszta -a naturalized U.S. citizen of Hungarian birth who had fled to the U.S. to avoid prosecution for political crimes, who was subsequently seized abroad by Austrian forces, and freed at gunpoint by a U.S. navy warship- to excoriate the Pierce Administration on its stance towards slavery, endeavoring to show how the argument made to free Koszta could be used to argue for freedom for the slaves. Of Smith, the New York Times obituary stated: "The history of the most important half century of our national life will be imperfectly written if it fails to place [Smith] in the front rank of the men whose influence was most felt in the accomplishments of its results."

Price: $50.00

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