Lincoln's "House Divided" Speech

June 16, 1858Springfield, Illinoishigh importance

Abraham Lincoln accepted the Illinois Republican nomination by warning the nation could not endure half slave and half free.

Debating rival Stephen Douglas later that summer, Lincoln insisted moral contradiction threatened survival; governments must eventually embrace liberty or slavery everywhere according to Dred Scott's logic unless voters rebelled against judicial dictatorship.

Sources

https://www.nps.gov/lincoln/learn/historyculture/housedivided.htm

Key Takeaways

Framed slavery as existential moral crisis

Previewed arguments for 1860 campaign

Key Figures

Abraham Lincoln

February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865

Delivered the speech upon accepting the Republican nomination for Senate