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Quiz about Abraham Lincoln at Cooper Union

Abraham Lincoln at Cooper Union Quiz

OK, we all know about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, but how much do you know about the speech that made him a contender for the Republican nomination in 1860?

A multiple-choice quiz by Weehawken. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Weehawken

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
266,415

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
345

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What date did Lincoln give his speech at Cooper Union? Hint

February 27, 1860

March 4, 1860

April 12, 1860

January 21, 1860

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Question 2 of 10

2. How much money did Lincoln receive for giving his speech? Hint

$1000

$200

$500

He was not paid anything.

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Question 3 of 10

3. What famous photographer took Lincoln's picture hours before he gave his speech? Hint

Ansel Adams

Gilbert Stuart

Robert Capa

Mathew Brady

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Question 4 of 10

4. Where was the original location for his speech? Hint

Henry Beecher's Church

Astor House

Cooper Union

New York City Hall

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Question 5 of 10

5. How long did Lincoln speak for? Hint

One hour

Half an hour

An hour and a half

Forty-five minuets

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Question 6 of 10

6. How many words were in Lincoln's Cooper Union speech? Hint

5,250

7,715

4,890

6,655

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Question 7 of 10

7. What was the main thrust of Lincoln's speech at Cooper Union? Hint

The founding fathers believed in restricting slavery.

Popular sovereignty would not solve the country's problems.

The Constitution allows for interfering with the institution of slavery where it already exists.

The declaration that "all men are created equal" applies to everyone (including blacks).

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Question 8 of 10

8. After his speech at Cooper Union, Lincoln did not go directly back home, he went on to give a number of speeches in New England. How many more speeches did he give? Hint

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Question 9 of 10

9. What happened just months before Lincoln gave his speech that caused many in the South to view Republicans as dangerous and radical? Hint

John Brown's raid (Harpers Ferry)

Bleeding Kansas

The Caning of Charles Sumner

Riots in New York

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which famous conclusion was how Lincoln ended his Cooper Union speech? Hint

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. . . The mystic chords of memory, . . . will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, . . ."

"...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What date did Lincoln give his speech at Cooper Union?

Answer: February 27, 1860

The original date for his speech was November 29, 1859. It would be postponed until February 27, 1860. Some think Lincoln wanted to postpone it so that it would be closer to the Republican Nomination Convention so that he would have some momentum going into it.

The questions for this quiz were in large part derived from Harold Holzer's book "Lincoln At Cooper Union".

2. How much money did Lincoln receive for giving his speech?

Answer: $200

The modern equivalent accounting for inflation only is $4,000.

3. What famous photographer took Lincoln's picture hours before he gave his speech?

Answer: Mathew Brady

The picture became almost as famous as his speech, and let the public have a visual of Lincoln looking presidential. Lincoln is reported to have said (albeit questionable) "Brady and the Cooper Union speech made me president."

4. Where was the original location for his speech?

Answer: Henry Beecher's Church

The original location was set for Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's Church. However, it would be moved to Cooper Union. The planners of the event forgot to mention this detail to Lincoln, who did not realize he was speaking at Cooper Union until he arrived in New York.

5. How long did Lincoln speak for?

Answer: An hour and a half

In comparison, Lincoln spoke for around two minutes at Gettysburg.

6. How many words were in Lincoln's Cooper Union speech?

Answer: 7,715

Again, in comparison the Gettysburg address was 269 words long.

7. What was the main thrust of Lincoln's speech at Cooper Union?

Answer: The founding fathers believed in restricting slavery.

In a speech Stephen Douglas said, "Our fathers, when they framed the Government under which we live, understood this question [slavery] just as well, and even better, than we do now." Douglas went on to say the founding fathers did not believe in restricting slavery. Lincoln was frustrated by this, and one of the main sections of his speech was devoted to showing how the founding fathers did in fact believe in restricting slavery.

8. After his speech at Cooper Union, Lincoln did not go directly back home, he went on to give a number of speeches in New England. How many more speeches did he give?

Answer: 11

He would speak in Providence, Concord, Manchester, Dover, Exeter, Hartford, New Haven, Meriden, Woonsocket, Norwich, and Bridgeport. On Sunday, March 11, before returning home, Lincoln would do some sightseeing as well as hear two sermons, one by Rev Henry Ward Beecher (this was his second time hearing Beecher who he heard speak the Sunday he first arrived in New York that same trip). Lincoln would not return to Springfield until Wednesday morning on March 14.

In all, his trip had lasted three weeks.

9. What happened just months before Lincoln gave his speech that caused many in the South to view Republicans as dangerous and radical?

Answer: John Brown's raid (Harpers Ferry)

October 16, 1859, is when John Brown began his raid. The South tried to use the event to paint the Republicans as radical and disturbers of peace. Lincoln even spoke to the event in his speech at Cooper Union saying, "John Brown was no Republican; and you [the South] have failed to implicate a single Republican in his Harpers Ferry enterprise."

10. Which famous conclusion was how Lincoln ended his Cooper Union speech?

Answer: "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

The other quotes were from Lincoln's Inaugural addresses and his Gettysburg address.

Source: Author Weehawken

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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