Primary sourceSpeech1866

Remarks by Garfield in the House in Memory of Abraham Lincoln

James A. Garfield · 1866

A printed pamphlet of Garfield's 1866 tribute speech to Abraham Lincoln, delivered in the House of Representatives.

Garfield delivered this tribute himself, showing his own words honoring the assassinated Lincoln.

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Front cover of a dark gray cloth-bound pamphlet. Top left has call number E 457 .8 .G23 in white print. A white Library of Congress barcode label with number 00006140683 and a red dot sits near the bottom left. — James A. Garfield, Remarks in the House in Memory of Abraham Lincoln, 1866. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This pamphlet contains Garfield's own remarks delivered in the House of Representatives in 1866 in memory of Abraham Lincoln. It is held in the Library of Congress's Miscellaneous Pamphlet Collection.

Why it matters

Lincoln had been assassinated the previous year, and Congress held formal tributes to him. Garfield's remarks show how he, as a rising political figure, publicly honored Lincoln and reflected the nation's mourning and political memory of the slain president.

Look closer

Why might Congress have wanted formal speeches honoring Lincoln so soon after his death?
What does giving this kind of tribute suggest about Garfield's standing in Congress at the time?
What might this speech leave out about Lincoln's presidency or death?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.