William Henry Seward: Memorandum to President Abraham Lincoln

William Henry Seward’s years in public life coincided with the struggle between northern and southern political leaders over the issue of slavery. The preservation of the Union and the growth of U.S. power abroad also became pressing concerns during this period. As both a public official and a partisan campaigner, Seward promoted the restriction of slavery and the strengthening of the United States as a nation built upon a free labor system. As secretary of state, he asserted America’s rights against foreign encroachment even as he faced the challenge of southern rebellion. As secretary of state in the Lincoln administration, Seward wrote a Memorandum to President Abraham Lincoln touching on what he viewed as a lack of planning for the growing secession crisis and the threat of civil war as well as violations of the Monroe Doctrine on the part of foreign powers.