On this episode of Our American Stories, in February 1860, Abraham Lincoln traveled to New York City with something to prove. The country was tearing itself apart over slavery, and Lincoln believed he could demonstrate that those demanding its expansion had misunderstood the very Founders they claimed to defend. So the Illinois lawyer did what he knew best: he built a case. After months spent studying the votes and writings of the men who framed the Constitution, Lincoln took the stage at Cooper Union and laid out his evidence.

The speech helped turn Lincoln into a national political figure and propelled him toward the presidency later that year. Vince Benedetto of Bold Gold Media shares the story of the Cooper Union Address.

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