Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation Suspending Writ of Habeas Corpus, 1863
About This Text
Author: Abraham Lincoln
Composed: c.1863 CE
In response to resistance to the Conscription Act of 1863, the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens in American history, President Abraham Lincoln issued “Proclamation 104” in September 1863. Citing the extraordinary circumstances and exigencies of the ongoing war, Lincoln’s controversial proclamation suspended the writ of habeas corpus throughout the United States in cases involving prisoners of wars, draft resistors, spies, or members of the military.