By addressing the court holdings in an organized manner, Lincoln brings clarity to both the individual mechanisms of the decision and the overarching implications of it. Identify what you think his purpose is, what the analogy is comparing, and how it fits with Lincoln's purpose. Learn more. When the Lecompton Constitution was brought before Congress, President Buchanan and the majority of Southern Democrats supported its passage. In order to deny Dred Scott his freedom, the court had to strip away his constitutional rights. But if it is, how can he resist it? We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. A foundry mold is a tool used in metal casting to create shapes that are too difficult to sculpt by hand. Now, Lincoln posits, they only need to bring in a few more pieces until the house is completed and slavery is legal across the United States. One premise of Douglas’s popular sovereignty, of course, was that it could be both. Lincoln stakes a claim to the moral highground by framing apathy—and the cultivation of it in the “public mind”—as incomprehensible. The people were to be left "perfectly free," "subject only to the Constitution." Certainly the people of a State are and ought to be subject to the Constitution of the United States; but why is mention of this lugged into this merely territorial law? According to them, the north was attempting to destroy their traditional values and way of life. The new year of 1854 found slavery excluded from more than half the States by State constitutions, and from most of the national territory by congressional prohibition. And well may he cling to that principle. Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) was the fourteenth President of the United States. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly augmented. Speech in Acceptance of Nomination as United States Senator, Made at the Close of the Republican State Convention, Springfield, Ill. June 16, 1858. The election came. Speech Title as it is to be printed: “A HOUSE DIVIDED”: SPEECH AT SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. Full text: Joe Biden inauguration speech transcript "Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Why the incoming President's advance exhortation in favor of the decision? The “Little Giant” nickname was meant as a show of respect to Douglas. Several things will now appear less dark and mysterious than they did when they were transpiring. In his view, popular sovereignty is not a doctrine of freedom, but rather a doctrine that explicitly supports slavery. I do not understand his declaration that he cares not whether slavery be voted down or voted up to be intended by him other than as an apt definition of the policy he would impress upon the public mind—the principle for which he declares he has suffered so much, and is ready to suffer to the end. Under th… Two years ago the Republicans of the nation mustered over thirteen hundred thousand strong. We cannot absolutely know that all these exact adaptations are the result of preconcert. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. Certainly the people of a State are and ought to be subject to the Constitution of the United States; but why is mention of this lugged into this merely territorial law? How can he oppose the advance of slavery? Springfield, IL Many more moderate Republicans viewed this dispute as evidence that Douglas might break with the Democrats and become a Republican anti-slavery champion. And this may be expected if the doctrine of "care not whether slavery be voted down or voted up," shall gain upon the public mind sufficiently to give promise that such a decision can be maintained when made. To really drive home how real this threat is, Lincoln gives a detailed history of recent events in America that have illustrated the danger of an impending all-slavery America. At length a squabble springs up between the President and the author of the Nebraska bill, on the mere question of fact, whether the Lecompton constitution was or was not, in any just sense, made by the people of Kansas; and in that quarrel the latter declares that all he wants is a fair vote for the people, and that he cares not whether slavery be voted down or voted up. He has done all in his power to reduce the whole question of slavery to one of a mere right of property; and as such, how can he oppose the foreign slave-trade? Abraham Lincoln's years as a lawyer prepared him to deliver his moving 'A House Divided' speech. However, many of his political detractors also targeted his height as a means of discrediting or belittling him, as Lincoln seems to do here. He flat-out says that, soon, the U.S. will either allow or ban slavery everywhere…meaning those anti-slavery Republicans in the audience may have to put up with slavery in their neighborhood. Wise counsels may accelerate or mistakes delay it, but sooner or later, the victory is sure to come. Lincoln emphasizes the passage of time in order to further highlight the suspect timing of the Dred Scott decision, which came shortly after Buchanan’s inauguration. They do not tell us, nor has he told us, that he wishes any such object to be effected. Abraham Lincoln's House Divided Speech-Rhetorical Analysis. Instead, it focused on the necessity of popular sovereignty and state’s rights. By situating his argument in a biblical framework, Lincoln gains moral authority and appeals to the religiosity of his audience. The indorsement, however, fell short of a clear popular majority by nearly four hundred thousand votes, and so, perhaps, was not over-whelmingly reliable and satisfactory. In response, anti-slavery free-staters formed their own unofficial legislature. If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. Lincoln attempts to frame Douglas as one of the “chief architects” of the pro-slavery gains in recent years. Our cause, then, must be intrusted to, and conducted by its own undoubted friends-those whose hands are free, whose hearts are in the work-who do care for the result. During the 1850s, the US Supreme Court was overseen by Chief Justice Roger Taney (1777–1864), who succeeded Chief Justice John Marshall in 1836. Both men were willing to preemptively endorse a decision that they allegedly did not know the outcome of. I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It also illustrates his ability to see the bigger picture and his understanding of the political climate of the period. Lincoln appeals to logos by quoting directly from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and emphasizing that it is only logical to allow the territories to exclude slavery if popular sovereignty and freedom are truly the goal. In at least 150 words, discuss how this analogy fits Lincoln's purpose in the "House Divided" speech. “Squatter sovereignty” is a derisive name for the controversial doctrine of popular sovereignty. Let this be granted. Several things will now appear less dark and mysterious than they did when they were transpiring. Does Douglas believe an effort to revive that trade is approaching? He has not said so. TEXT 1: "House Divided Speech' by Abraham Lincoln, Delivered in Springfield, Illinois, on June 16, 1858 "A house divided against itself cannot stand" I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -1 do not expect the house to fall-but I do expect it will cease to be divided Lincoln issued these statements in acceptance of his nomination to run as the Republican candidate for a US Senate seat in the 1858 election. If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it. And, unquestionably they can be bought cheaper in Africa than in Virginia. Read below for the full text of Lincoln's address: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and … At length a squabble springs up between the President and the author of the Nebraska bill, on the mere question of fact, whether the Lecompton constitution was or was not, in any just sense, made by the people of Kansas; and in that quarrel the latter declares that all he wants is a fair vote for the people, and that he cares not whether slavery be voted down or voted up. However, Lincoln will not compromise on the Republican’s “great cause” of resisting slavery. Does he really think so? Four days later, commenced the struggle, which ended in repealing that congressional prohibition. This amendment would have allowed new territories to vote to either legalize or ban slavery, as opposed to the bill itself, which only allowed them to legalize it. Let any one who doubts, carefully contemplate that now almost complete legal combination - piece of machinery so to speak- compounded of the Nebraska doctrine, and the Dred Scott decision. This point is made in order that individual men may fill up the Territories with slaves, without danger of losing them as property, and thus enhance the chances of permanency to the institution through all the future. Why the outgoing President's felicitation on the indorsement? This opened all the national territory to slavery; and was the first point gained. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention: If we could first know where we are and whither … When the metal solidifies, the cheap mold is disintegrated in order to free the finished metal part. Let this be granted. Off-Site C-SPAN Video of Fritz Klein Re-Enactment This mass migration resulted in a power struggle between the pro and anti-slavery factions, which led to a period of civil unrest often referred to as “Bleeding Kansas.” In the hopes of controlling the chaos, Governor Robert Walker called in federal military troops. On March 4, 1865, only 41 days before his assassination, President Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for the second time. Therefore, popular sovereignty is not a doctrine of freedom and fairness, but a doctrine that explicitly supports the expansion of an immoral institution. Lincoln notes Pierce’s praise of Buchanan’s endorsement of the Dred Scott decision as a suspiciously timed coincidence. Lincoln's "Lost Speech" was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln at the Bloomington Convention on May 29, 1856, in Bloomington, Illinois.Traditionally regarded as lost because it was so engaging that reporters neglected to take notes, the speech is believed to have been an impassioned condemnation of slavery.It is possible the text was deliberately "lost" owing to its … And unquestionably they can be bought cheaper in Africa than in Virginia. Abraham Lincoln's years as a lawyer prepared him to deliver his moving 'A House Divided' speech. That principle is the only shred left of his original Nebraska doctrine. Up until the 1850s, the balance between slave states and free states had been carefully maintained. Now, as ever, I wish not to misrepresent Judge Douglas's position, question his motives, or do aught that can be personally offensive to him. Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, edited by Roy P. Basler. The simile confronts the audience with the idea that they have been manipulated by the Democrats. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new-North as well as South. Africans in America/Part 4/Lincoln's "House Divided" speech. Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention. The transatlantic slave trade, here referred to as the African slave trade, refers to the importation of slaves from Africa. Why even a senator's individual opinion withheld till after the presidential election? By noting the opposition of Douglas and his Southern supporters to the amendment, Lincoln calls into question their true motives. Mr. Buchanan was elected, and the indorsement, such as it was, secured. Though his audience was likely familiar with the court decision, Lincoln’s decision to review the individual parts of it allows him to interpret the different components within his own argumentative framework. His avowed mission is impressing the "public heart" to care nothing about it. The noun “extinction” means to cease to exist. The working points of that machinery are: (1) That no negro slave, imported as such from Africa, and no descendant of such slave, can ever be a citizen of any State, in the sense of that term as used in the Constitution of the United States. Douglas was not present. Why mention a State? The House Divided speech took place on June 16, 1858 in Springfield, Illinois. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. By explaining the sequence of events in such extensive detail, Lincoln establishes a clear narrative that highlights the allegedly suspicious timing of these two pro-slavery gains, bolstering his argument. Prior to 1854, Lincoln identified as a Whig, serving in the Illinois House of Representatives for four terms and the US House of Representatives for one term. The negro's name was Dred Scott, which name now designates the decision finally made in the case. But as part of Lincoln’s legacy, the House Divided Speech marked the point at which Abraham Lincoln, local politician, firmly planted his stake in … He also references having read the opinions of all nine justices, further positioning Lincoln as an informed speaker and legal scholar. Lincoln frequently refers to Douglas indirectly as “the author of the Nebraska bill.” A Northern Democrat, Douglas was notoriously neutral about slavery from a moral standpoint, instead preferring to consider it from the perspectives of property rights and constitutional law. Circuit Court for the District of Missouri; and both Nebraska bill and law suit were brought to a decision in the same month of May, 1854. Plainly enough now, it was an exactly fitted niche for the Dred Scott decision to afterward come in, and declare the perfect freedom of the people to be just no freedom at all. For Lincoln and his Republican audience, slavery is too important of an issue to not care about, making Douglas’s supposed neutrality immoral and cowardly. Combined with the simile comparing “squatter sovereignty” to “temporary scaffolding,” it also conveys a sense of impermanence and instability. Then, in a few days, came the decision. Listen to and read the House Divided speech delivered by U.S. Senate Candidate Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858 at the statehouse in Springfield, Illinois. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. However, for Republicans and other anti-slavery groups, slavery is a moral issue. —Harold Holzer, Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech that Made Abraham Lincoln President (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006), 2 “Harold Holzer boldly calls the Cooper Union talk “the speech that made Abraham Lincoln president.” I will be so bold as to say that it was popular sovereignty that made Lincoln president. Lincoln highlights the rationality of his own arguments by establishing a clear and logical cause and effect. If slaveowners can freely transport their slaves into free states and then take them back to slave states, then there is little preventing them from settling in free states with their slaves more permanently. Plainly enough now, the adoption of it would have spoiled the niche for the Dred Scott decision. Put this and that together, and we have another nice little niche, which we may, ere long, see filled with another Supreme Court decision declaring that the Constitution of the United States does not permit a State to exclude slavery from its limits. Welcome or unwelcome, such decision is probably coming, and will soon be upon us, unless the power of the present political dynasty shall be met and overthrown. His late joint struggle with the Republicans, against the Lecompton Constitution, involves nothing of the original Nebraska doctrine. Does he really think so? Now, as ever, I wish to not misrepresent Judge Doulgas' position, question his motives, or do aught that can be personally offensive to him. Senator Douglas holds, we know, that a man may rightfully be wiser to-day than he was yesterday—that he may rightfully change when he finds himself wrong. Tallying the figurative points also allows Lincoln to establish a framework for his argument and control the progression of ideas. 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