His Works, Chronologically
The Archive
Every Ingersoll work in the Dresden Edition, grouped by decade and year. Lectures, interviews, tributes, and essays across his public life from 1860 to 1899.
Decade1890s
1890s
1899
1899
Works
- A Look Backward and a Prophecy Ingersoll's last essay.
- Interviews More than one hundred newspaper interviews, 1878–1899.
- Jesus Christ An unfinished lecture, begun a few days before Ingersoll's death.
- Political Morality Essay.
- Argument Before the Vice-Chancellor in the Russell Case Russell vs. Russell, Camden, N.J., June 21, 1899.
- The Devil If the Devil should die would God make another?
- What Is Religion? Ingersoll's last public address.
1898
1898
Works
- A Few Fragments on Expansion On American territorial expansion.
- A Reply to the New York Clergy on Superstition New York Journal, 1898.
- A Reply to the Rev. Dr. Plumb Boston, 1898.
- Address to the Press Club New Orleans, February 1, 1898.
- Governor Rollins' Fast-Day Proclamation Reply to the Governor of New Hampshire.
- Lotos Club Dinner in Honor of Rear Admiral Schley After-dinner tribute to the hero of Santiago.
- Our New Possessions On Cuba, the Philippines, and the territorial gains of 1898.
- Spain and the Spaniards On the Spanish-American War.
- Superstition To believe in spite of evidence or without evidence.
- A Tribute to Anton Seidl Memorial tribute to the conductor.
- A Tribute to Dr. Thomas Seton Robertson Memorial tribute.
- A Tribute to Isaac H. Bailey Memorial tribute.
1897
1897
Works
- A Thanksgiving Sermon Many ages ago our fathers were living in dens and caves.
- Law's Delay On the slowness of American justice.
- Organized Charities Essay.
- The Bigotry of Colleges On sectarianism in higher education.
- The Truth Through millions of ages man slowly developed his brain.
- A Tribute to Thomas Corwin Memorial tribute.
1896
1896
Works
- A Young Man's Chances To-Day Essay.
- The Chicago and New York Gold Speech On the monetary question, 1896.
- How to Reform Mankind There is no darkness but ignorance.
- The Religious Belief of Abraham Lincoln Letter to Mr. Seip, New York, May 28, 1896.
- Why I Am an Agnostic For the most part we inherit our opinions.
1895
1895
1894
1894
Works
- A Reply to Rev. John Hall and Warner Van Norden On hungry cloakmakers and the Christianity of capital.
- About the Holy Bible Somebody ought to tell the truth about the Bible.
- Abraham Lincoln The grandest figure of the fiercest civil war.
- Cruelty in the Elmira Reformatory On the treatment of prisoners.
- Sabbath Superstition On the Sunday laws.
- Voltaire The infidels of one age have often been the aureoled saints of the next.
1893
1893
Works
- Crumbling Creeds On the quiet collapse of orthodoxy.
- Effect of the World's Fair on the Human Race On the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition.
- Lotos Club Dinner in Honor of Anton Seidl After-dinner tribute to the conductor.
- Our Schools On the public school system.
- Professor Briggs On the Presbyterian heresy trial of Charles A. Briggs.
- Sumter's Gun On the Civil War and its consequences.
- Vivisection Against cruelty to animals in the name of science.
1892
1892
Works
- An Essay on Christmas Essay.
- Death of the Aged Letter of condolence.
- Ernest Renan A tribute on the death of the historian of the life of Jesus.
- The Frank B. Carpenter Dinner Tribute to the painter Frank B. Carpenter.
- Suicide of Judge Normile Reply to the Western Watchman.
- The Agnostic Christmas On keeping Christmas without the supernatural.
- Thomas Paine (Magazine Article) A magazine article.
- A Tribute to Philo D. Beckwith Memorial tribute.
- A Tribute to Walt Whitman Grave-side address at Whitman's burial, Camden, N.J., March 30, 1892.
- Western Society of the Army of the Potomac Banquet Civil War veterans reunion.
- What Infidels Have Done On the infidels' share in the world's progress.
1891
1891
Works
- A Christmas Sermon Published in the Evening Telegram, December 19, 1891.
- A Few Reasons for Doubting the Inspiration of the Bible Essay.
- A Word About Education Essay.
- The Liederkranz Club Seidl-Stanton Banquet In honor of Anton Seidl and Theodore Stanton.
- Shakespeare The greatest genius of our world.
- A Tribute to Lawrence Barrett Memorial tribute to the actor.
- Unitarian Club Dinner After-dinner address.
- What I Want for Christmas A Christmas essay.
1890
1890
Works
- A Reply to Bishop Spalding On God in the Constitution.
- Crimes Against Criminals State Bar Association, Albany, N.Y., January 1, 1890.
- Eight Hours Must Come On the eight-hour working day.
- General Grant's Birthday Dinner Tribute to Ulysses S. Grant.
- God in the Constitution Against the proposed "Christian nation" amendment.
- Liberty in Literature A Testimonial to Walt Whitman.
- Lotos Club Dinner — Twentieth Anniversary New York literary and theatrical club.
- Manhattan Athletic Club Dinner After-dinner speech.
- The Police Captains' Dinner After-dinner speech.
- Reply to Archdeacon Farrar "A Few Words on Col. Ingersoll" answered.
- Reply to Dr. Lyman Abbott An answer to "Flaws in Ingersollism."
- The Census Enumerator's Official Catechism Satire.
- The Improved Man Essay.
- The Jews Against anti-Semitism.
- The Three Philanthropists Three sketches of the good man.
Decade1880s
1880s
1889
1889
Works
- Divorce Replies to Cardinal Gibbons, Bishop Potter, and others.
- Huxley and Agnosticism On Thomas Henry Huxley and the coinage of the word.
- Robson and Crane Dinner In honor of the actors Stuart Robson and William H. Crane.
- Spirituality What the word really means.
- A Tribute to Horace Seaver Memorial tribute to the editor of the Boston Investigator.
1888
1888
Works
- Address to the Actors' Fund of America New York, June 5, 1888.
- Art and Morality Essay.
- Decoration Day Address Metropolitan Opera House, New York.
- The Ingersoll–Gladstone Controversy Colonel Ingersoll on Christianity.
- Ratification Speech Harrison and Morton — Metropolitan Opera House, June 29, 1888.
- Rome or Reason A reply to Cardinal Manning.
- The Children of the Stage On the stage and its people.
- The Divided Household of Faith Essay.
- The Limitations of Toleration Debate before the Nineteenth Century Club, New York, 1888.
- A Tribute to Courtlandt Palmer Memorial tribute to the founder of the Nineteenth Century Club.
- A Tribute to Mrs. Mary H. Fiske Memorial tribute.
- A Tribute to Richard H. Whiting Memorial tribute.
- A Tribute to Roscoe Conkling Memorial address to the New York legislature, May 9, 1888.
1887
1887
Works
- Fool Friends On the well-meaning enemies of the cause.
- Inspiration Essay.
- Reunion Address Elmwood Reunion of Six Regiments.
- Secularism Essay.
- The Field–Ingersoll Discussion Faith or Agnosticism.
- The Libel Laws Essay.
- The Truth of History Including "Conversion of the Arch Atheist."
- Thirteen Club Dinner On the superstitions of public men.
- Trial of C. B. Reynolds for Blasphemy Address to the Jury, Morristown, New Jersey, 1887.
- A Tribute to Henry Ward Beecher Memorial tribute to the great American preacher.
1886
1886
1885
1885
Works
- A Lay Sermon Delivered before the American Secular Union.
- Convention of the American Secular Union Albany, N.Y., September 13, 1885 — presidential address.
- Myth and Miracle Happiness is the true end and aim of life.
- Some Interrogation Points Questions for the clergy.
- A Tribute to Elizur Wright Memorial tribute.
1884
1884
1883
1883
Works
- Address on the Civil Rights Act Lincoln Hall, Washington, October 22, 1883.
- Address to the Jury in the Davis Will Case New York, 1883.
- Closing Address — Second Star Route Trial Washington, D.C., 1883.
- The Brooklyn Divines Replies to clergy interviewed by the Brooklyn Union.
- To the Indianapolis Clergy Answers to the ministers of Indianapolis.
1882
1882
Works
- A Reply to Rev. Drs. Thomas and Lorimer McVicker's Theatre, Chicago, Nov. 26, 1882.
- At a Child's Grave Washington, D.C., January 8, 1882.
- Decoration Day Oration Academy of Music, New York — GAR Memorial Celebration.
- Closing Address — First Star Route Trial Washington, D.C., 1882.
- Opening Address — Second Star Route Trial Washington, D.C., December 21, 1882.
- Six Interviews on Talmage A reply to the Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmage of Brooklyn.
- The Talmagian Catechism A shorter catechism, drawn from the sermons of Mr. Talmage.
1881
1881
Works
- Interview on Chief Justice Comegys On the Delaware blasphemy indictment.
- Some Reasons Why Why religion makes enemies, why inspiration is a fiction, and why the morality of the heathen exceeded that of the prophets.
- The Christian Religion A discussion with Jeremiah S. Black.
- The Great Infidels The Infidels of one age have been the aureoled saints of the next.
1880
1880
Works
- Brooklyn Speech Brooklyn Academy of Music, introduced by Henry Ward Beecher.
- Prof. Van Buren Denslow's "Modern Thinkers" Introduction to Denslow's biographical study of Swedenborg, Adam Smith, Bentham, Paine, Fourier, Comte, Haeckel, and Spencer.
- Suffrage Address Washington, D.C., January 24, 1880.
- Wall Street Speech Sub-Treasury steps, Wall Street, New York.
- What Must We Do To Be Saved? A close reading of the four gospels.
Decade1870s
1870s
1879
1879
Works
- A Wooden God On the deification of the Bible.
- The Circulation of Obscene Literature Defense in the Bennett-Comstock prosecution.
- The Grant Banquet Twelfth toast, Chicago, November 13, 1879.
- My Chicago Bible Class A reply published in the Chicago Times, 1879.
- Some Mistakes of Moses He who endeavors to control the mind by force is a tyrant, and he who submits is a slave.
- A Tribute to the Rev. Alexander Clark Grave-side tribute.
- A Tribute to Ebon C. Ingersoll Washington, D.C., May 31, 1879.
1878
1878
1877
1877
Works
- A Vindication of Thomas Paine Reply to the New York Observer.
- About Farming in Illinois To Plow is to Pray — to Plant is to Prophesy, and the Harvest Answers and Fulfills.
- Eight to Seven Address On the Electoral Commission, Tremont Temple, Boston.
- The Ghosts Let them cover their eyeless sockets with their fleshless hands and fade forever from the imagination of men.
- The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child Liberty sustains the same Relation to Mind that Space does to Matter.
- My Reviewers Reviewed A reply to the clergymen of San Francisco.
1876
1876
Works
- Bangor Speech Bangor, Maine, 1876.
- Centennial Oration Peoria, Illinois, July 4, 1876.
- Chicago Speech Exposition Building, Chicago, 1876.
- Cooper Union Speech Cooper Union, New York, 1876.
- Indianapolis Speech (1876) The Journal, Indianapolis, September 21, 1876.
- Address to the Jury in the Munn Trial The United States vs. Daniel W. Munn — Chicago whiskey conspiracy, 1876.
- Speech at Cincinnati The Republican National Convention, 1876.
- The Plumed Knight Speech nominating James G. Blaine, June 15, 1876.