"Good Moral Character"

Entrance requirements to the practice of law in the early nineteenth century varied widely from state to state and even from county to county. Compared to neighboring states Lincoln-era Illinois maintained fairly regular standards for entrance up to the Civil War, yet they paled compared to requirements set by some east-coast state legislatures (and bar associations). New York and Massachusetts, required a completed college education, a set number of years in a law office apprenticeship, and passage of a bar exam. Of these requirements, Illinois only had a bar exam. During the 1840s and 1850s many “western” states abolished entrance requirements altogether. Indiana (1850) and Wisconsin (1848), for instance, at varying times did not require an exam. Thus, while Illinois was an attractive place for an aspiring lawyer to get started given its low requirements, it wasn’t as freely accessible as some neighbors were.

Pennies for Lincoln

In the early 1940s, at the suggestion of Illinois State Historical Library Trustee Oliver Barrett, school children around the state began a statewide campaign to help raise money to buy the “Everett copy” of President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address from New York manuscript and rare books dealer Thomas Madigan. The fundraising drive was nicknamed “Nickell’s Nickels” after State Superintendent Vernon Nickell.

Children across the state were asked to make an average donation of 5 cents and were able to raise $50,000. Chicago department store heir Marshall Field III later donated the remaining $10,000 to purchase the historic document.