SPEECH OF HON. J.P. BENJAMIN, OF LOUISIANA, ON THE RIGHT OF SECESSION. DELIVERED IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, DEC. 31, 1860.
[Washington: Towers, 1861]. 16pp. Caption title [as issued], bound in 19th century stiff plain wrappers. Light scattered foxing. Very Good.
After David Yulee of Florida, Benjamin was the second Jew to serve in the United States Senate. He "was one of the earliest of the Southern senators to advise secession, following the election of Lincoln... This was followed by a very able defense of the right of secession and of the Southern policy (speech in the Senate, Dec. 31, 1860), which further enlarged his reputation as a defender of Southern rights" [DAB]. Here Benjamin provides the detailed constitutional justification for secession, and closes with eloquent defiance: "You never can convert the free sons of the soil into vassals, paying tribute to your power; and you never, never can degrade them to the level of an inferior and servile race. Never! Never!"
FIRST EDITION. LCP 1099. Not in Singerman. Item #27769
Price: $1,000.00