Lincoln's Michigan Visit

(Above) North Berrien Historical Museum Director Alex Gates introduces State Senator Tom George.

State Senator Tom George, MD discussed Lincoln's Michigan Visit at the North Berrien Historical Museum on April 21. The museum was filled to capacity with visitors eager to learn more about our 16th President. Lincoln's visit to Kalamazoo on August 27, 1856 was his only visit to Michigan. George gave an overview of the founding of the Michigan Republican Party and the anti-slave sentiment in the state before the Civil War. Lincoln came to Kalamazoo in 1856 to promote the Republican candidate for Governor, John C. Fremont. Through the use of original documents, George pieced together the 1856 rally through how it was remembered by those who were there over 150 years ago. Lincoln's appearance in Kalamazoo is not a footnote in history, but his speech presents his earliest views on slavery and the preservation of the Union.