The following teaser is from an article posted in the November 21, 2012 edition of moneycontrol.com.
A proclamation signed by former US President Abraham Lincoln on April 19, 1861, that marked the official start of the American Civil War, is up for sale for a whopping USD 900,000.
The one-page document, authorised the blockade of Southern ports, which, under the international law, was an act of war. The Raab Collection in Philadelphia said it is selling the document, which it calls one of the most important in American history, for USD 900,000, CNN reported.
“The action was bold and with great risk,” said Nathan Raab, vice president of The Raab Collection. “Lincoln was aware that the blockading of ports was an act of war. Some in his cabinet argued that a blockade would constitute recognition of the sovereignty of the Confederacy, something the North wanted to avoid. Lincoln was less interested in the legal definitions of ‘war’ than in victory, and he approved it despite the objections.”.
