Lincoln sits on bench in place of David Davis. Forty-five cases come before him. None is contested, however, and his work is limited to entering decrees and orders. Record; Photocopy.

Lincoln speaks at the Tremont House before a Republican gathering. He urges the attendees to keep a "steady eye on the real issue, let us reinaugurate the good old 'central ideas' of the Republic. We can do it. The human heart is with us—God is with us. We shall again be able not to declare, that 'all States as States, are equal,' nor yet that 'all citizens as citizens are equal,' but to renew the broader, better declaration, including both these and much more, that 'all men are created equal.'" Daily Democratic Press (Chicago, IL), 11 December 1856, 2:2-3; Daily Illinois State Journal (Springfield), 13 December 1856, 2:6, 16 December 1856, 2:3; Speech at a Republican Banquet, Chicago, Illinois, 10 December 1856, CW, 2:383-85.

Circuit Court adjourns after its longest session. New England Society celebrates 236th anniversary of landing of Pilgrims with supper at Concert Hall. After supper come many toasts, interspersed with music and remarks by J. H. Matheny, William Jayne, Erastus Wright, Lincoln, and others. Illinois State Journal, 24 December 1856.