It is not generally known that President Lincoln adopted a suggestion
made by Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase in regard to the
Emancipation Proclamation, and incorporated it in that famous document.
After the President had read it to the members of the Cabinet he
asked if he had omitted anything which should be added or inserted to
strengthen it. It will be remembered that the closing paragraph of the
Proclamation reads in this way:
“And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice warranted
by the Constitution, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and
the gracious favor of Almighty God!” President Lincoln’s draft of the
paper ended with the word “mankind,” and the words, “and the gracious
favor of Almighty God,” were those suggested by Secretary Chase.