They are all of the great family of men, and if there is one shackle upon any of them, it would be far better to lift the load from them than to pile additional loads upon them. Speech to Germans at Cincinnati, Ohio (1861)
[T]he wild lands of the country should be distributed so that every man should have the means and opportunity of benefitting his condition. Speech to Germans at Cincinnati, Ohio (1861)
I hold the value of life is to improve one's condition. Whatever is calculated to advance the condition of the honest, struggling laboring man, so far as my judgment will enable me to judge of a correct thing. I am for that thing. Speech to Germans at Cincinnati, Ohio (1861)