Abraham Lincoln often seemed to contradict himself on the subject of slavery. This was most often the case during his campaigns for office. The campaign for Senate that put him in the national spotlight ended in a loss perhaps in part due to his opponent, a pro-slavery states’ rights advocate by the name of Stephen Douglas, bringing attention to these contradictions. Illinois was divided on the issue of slavery in 1858. Northern Illinois had a large abolitionist movement while the southern half of the state had a majority that supported slavery. Due to this division, Lincoln frequently gave speeches in one part of the state and gave very different speeches in the other part of the state. Lincoln wrote to friends in private about his intense …show more content…
In response to this claim, Lincoln stated in the fourth of the debates that he was “not in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races…and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.” Here, the inconsistency in the reasoning behind Lincoln’s opposition to slavery was most apparent. As Douglas pointed out in his rebuttal, “in every speech he made in the north he quoted the Declaration of Independence to prove that all men were created equal, and insisted that the phrase "all men" included the negro as well as the white man, and that the equality rested upon divine …show more content…
Instead of interfering with existing slave states, Lincoln aimed to stop the spread of slavery to new states. His public goal was emancipation over time instead of immediate liberation. In a letter written to a slave-owning friend of his, Lincoln plainly stated, “I do oppose the extension of slavery because my judgment and feeling so prompt me, and I am under no obligations to the contrary.” In the same letter, he contended that, “I am not aware that any one is bidding you yield that right (to own slaves); very certainly I am
Lincoln 's Peoria Speech/Lincoln 's Fourth Debate with Stephen Douglas Abraham Lincoln is broadly viewed as the legend of American history; he is accepted to be the pioneer in liberating the Blacks from servitude. While giving his discourse before 12000 group of onlookers in the fourth verbal confrontation, Lincoln went ahead to state, "… I am not, nor ever have been, agreeable to achieving in any capacity the social and political fairness of the white and dark races.." (Lincoln 1:267). He communicated his view on the matter of racial balance, while he was against giving Blacks the equivalent rights, he additionally was against the way that Blacks were precluded from claiming everything. He accepted to appreciate the predominant position,
Both Lincoln and Douglas argued differing opinions surrounding what they construe the meaning regarding certain parts of slavery and freedom to be. Douglas starts the debate by asking the fellow attendees questions regarding negroes. He understands
During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency at the start of the 1860, an issue that had divided the nation was slavery. Lincoln’s election to presidency as a republic was not received well by the Southern slave states, as they thought that as a republican he was out to abolish slavery. In an effort to calm southern states and keep them from seceding from the United States, he attempts to ease them with his First Inaugural Address. In his First Inaugural Address his key points are to clam southern leaders of slave states, keep the states from seceding, and make them at ease as he enters presidency.
Douglas had the power and the advanced tactics against Lincoln, so when he would declare that slavery wasn’t immoral, people would often follow and think what he thought. Popular sovereignty is what he referred to during these heated debates, also stated how he wanted to expand slavery across the country and claim territories for his own. Lincoln on the other hand wanted to oppose slavery. Was part of some sort of anti-slavery party and entitled himself to support “free soilers”. Free Soilers were free men who basically belonged on free land.
Lincoln was well educated over current case-law problems pertaining too slave and free states. Over one of the worst decisions ever made by the Supreme Court, the Dred Scott decision threatened to bring slavery into the North. Lincoln was stressing the fact that if something wasn’t done, slavery would no doubt trickle out of the South, and into the rest of America. While the Supreme Court was fumbling and backtracking, there was another law that brought slavery closer. The Kansas-Nebraska bill overrode previous legislation and allowed white male residents to vote on whether to permit slavery therein.
On the other hand, Douglas did not consider blacks American citizens, therefore they were undeserving the same rights and protection as whites. There was a prevailing view that Africans were beneath Anglo-Saxons in both character and intellect. He stated that the U.S. government was created “by white men for the benefit of white men.” (Foner, 488).
Lincoln believed that “...if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” (Fourth). Lincoln accepted that he must uphold the laws of the the United States as defined in the Constitution, even if he disagreed morally with the law. Lincoln professed that “slavery is founded in the selfishness of man’s nature ---opposition to it, is [in?] his love of justice.”
This speech that he gave was critical to not only the war, but also the whole future that followed, therefore with this in mind Lincoln made thorough use of rhetoric when and where he could in his speech. The speech starts with “Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln, 1), a rather simple single sentence which sets up the whole exposition for the speech. This sentence does not make much use of rhetoric because of its simplicity, it is easy for all to understand which may have helped Lincoln win favor of the slaves in the South further advancing the Union’s agenda. Yet with the lack of use of rhetoric, Lincoln was able to get across the foundations of his tone and establish the mood. Both the Union and the Confederacy
While the debates did not address the rights of Black Americans, it did allow the public to see both Lincoln and Douglas in a brighter light. Douglas publically stated that Lincoln had favored race equality, calling him a Radical Republican and therefore hurting his chances at ever getting a position in politics. Lincoln then challenged Douglas to a series of debates between late August and mid October in Illinois. Douglas accused Lincoln and Trumbull of conspiring to bring down Whig party in order to get their dream of abolishing slavery and getting into office. One person commented that these debates showed how much American politics have changed over the last two years, and will continue to change in the years coming.
Lincoln characterizes the depiction of slavery in the south as having been defined as a necessity due to the institution of slavery being so engrained in everyday life and economy there. Lincoln goes on to contend that in the settling of new lands the argument for slavery being a necessity or engrained in society is a complete falsity and an abhorrent violation of humanity. Lincoln speaks about how important our constitution is and that we, as a country, would be perceived as hypocrites by other nations for the inequalities we demonstrate with slavery. He expresses his fears that allowing slavery to spread to Nebraska would further the expansion of it into other areas of the country and eventually the world. It is very enlightening to read how broad and thorough Lincoln’s insights are.
Lincoln absolutely hated slavery and wanted to stop the spread of it as well. He hated the thinking of Stephen A. Douglas, the Democrat he was running against for president. Douglas was simply indifferent to the spread of slavery to new territories, such as Michigan (“Abraham”). Lincoln fought back to stop the spread of slavery stating, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe the Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free” (Current).
McGovern notes that “Lincoln’s approach to the issue [slavery] started with his personal view, often expressed privately and sometimes publicly, that he abhorred slavery (66).” McGovern also notes that Lincoln’s own family had antislavery values (66). But in congress, his position on slavery was not always consisten with his own personal values. “He was never an abolitionist, because he firmly believed that slavery was constitutionally protected in states where it already existed (66).”
but I do expect it will cease to be divided.” Because Douglas had an advantage of already being Senator, Lincoln believed that with a debate over slavery, there was a possibility that people would vote for him by knowing him better. They had seven encounters of debates on this subject, and it was called the Lincoln- Douglas debate of 1858. All the effort that Lincoln put into the debates was not enough, because in the end Douglas won the Senate
The Republican Party was committed to restricting the growth of slavery, and its victory in the election of 1860 was the trigger for secession acts by Southern states. The debate before 1860 was mainly focused on the Western territories, especially Kansas and the popular sovereignty controversy. Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate for president in the election of 1860. Lincoln was opposed to the expansion of slavery into new areas, but held that the federal government was prevented by the Constitution from banning slavery in states where it already existed. His plan was to halt the spread of slavery, and to offer monetary compensation to slave-owners in states that agreed to end slavery (see Compensated emancipation).
Slavery was a major part of the american way of life, but there were many causes of the resistance to it. Even though many states in the United States opposed and are resisting the act of slavery, many events had a big impact on the ending of slavery. The second great awakening, industrial revolution, and abolishment movement are underlying forces of growing opposition to slavery in the United States from 1776 to 1852. The opposition and abolishment of slavery changed american history.