Cooper Union speech or address , known at the time as the Cooper Institute speech , was delivered by Abraham Lincoln on February 27 , 1860 , at Cooper Union , in New York City . Lincoln was not yet the Republican nominee for the presidency , as the convention was scheduled for May . It is considered one of his most important speeches . Some historians have argued that the speech was responsible for his victory in the presidential election later that year
convention
1860 Republican National Convention
Cooper Union speech