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Message. [1853 State of the Union address given by Franklin Pierce]
Message. [1853 State of the Union address given by Franklin Pierce]

Message. [1853 State of the Union address given by Franklin Pierce]

“With Mexico a dispute has arisen as to the true boundary line between our Territory of New Mexico and the Mexican State of Chihuahua…”


Rare and apparently unrecorded. The present item publishes President Franklin Pierce’s first State of the Union address given on December 5th, 1853.

Pierce’s address emphasized maintaining the Union and preserving the institution of slavery in the states where it already existed. Pierce argued that the Federal government should not interfere with the “domestic institutions” of the states, which was a reference to slavery. (“Disturbing questions arose bearing upon the domestic institutions of one portion of the Confederacy and involving the constitutional rights of the States.”

In his address, Pierce also emphasized the importance of economic development, particularly the expansion of railroads and the settlement of new territories. He urged Congress to pass legislation that would provide land and financial assistance to railroad companies, and he called for the “peaceful and orderly” acquisition of new territories, such as Cuba and parts of Central America. Pierce also announced the arrival of Perry’s fleet in Japan and discussed border disputes with Mexico.


Description: Message. [1853 State of the Union address given by Franklin Pierce]

[N.p., n.d., but likely Washington, D.C., 1853]. 19, [1]pp. Stitched and gathered, untrimmed and partly unopened, as-issued. Old transmittal folds, a very good example.

[3733097]

Price: $350.00

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