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Excerpt from Sketch of Edward Coles: Second Governor of Illinois, and of the Slavery Struggle of 1823-4; Prepared for the Chicago Historical Society Convention Contest Commences; Its Violence and Bit terness; Description of it by Governors Ford and Reynolds and Wm. H. Brown; Hostility Towards Governor Coles; Insulting Demand upon him by the Senate; His Dignified and Conclusive Response. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

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Sketch of Edward Coles - Second governor of Illinois, and of the slavery struggle of 1823-4 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1882. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

His greatest work began as a misinterpretation. Edward Coles, former Virginian aristocrat and future governor of Illinois, began his move westward under the impression that the Northwest Ordinance straightforwardly banned slavery in all territories north of the Ohio River. This impression, however, was much more absolute in law than it ever was in fact. The reality of the situation was that slaveholders moved to territories such as Illinois and brought their lifestyle with them. So-called indentured servants, whose condition was supposedly a result of their own choices, were often simply slaves by another name. Having freed his slaves (some of whom nevertheless chose to remain with him) once he reached northern territory, Coles was appalled at the reality he found upon reaching his destination. A confirmed abolitionist, Cole soon set in motion one of the first true anti-slavery campaigns in the United States, resulting in a referendum that would ban slavery from Illinois once and for all. This biographical volume details the life and times of Illinois' second governor, the "improbable" Edward Coles. The book discusses his Virginian roots and his associations with men such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. It traces the motivations and circumstances which led a man with a confirmed Southern upbringing and definitive political connections to break the mold and uphold his unpopular moral beliefs. The main focus of the work, however, is Coles' work against slavery in Illinois. His political campaign, his lifestyle and his critics are all discussed. Views from contemporaries, who saw Coles as "a man who made a great thing happen," place Coles within the political atmosphere of the day and belie the neglect which he received in later years. Coles own writings add a personal note to an otherwise forgotten political story. A number of period photographs and an index are included.