History Flashback: The House Divided Speech and Leading Events

On June 16, 1858 Abraham Lincoln met with the Union in Illinois to give his famous speech, The House Divided. During Lincoln’s speech, he was trying to get his fellow delegates to understand why he felt the house was divided due to the north being free and the south into slavery.  Lincoln believed in a united country, a free country which eventually led to The American Civil War and Lincoln’s place as President of the United States.

“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 — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. 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 the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South” (Foner 2010 p.99). The United States at that time would eventually have to go either all slavery or become a free country. During this speech, Lincoln and Senator Stephen A. Douglas got into an argument/debate over whether to just leave the country the way it is divided or do something about it.

This speech was given for one main reason to become one as a solid nation. Lincoln did not believe in slavery, he believed in freedom. The southern states were not willing to give up their slaves for a single man and the northern states believed that the slaves should be given a chance, a free chance. Two years later, after this speech was given and Abraham Lincoln became president, the south or also known as the Confederacy would not release the slaves and started capturing federal forts, leading to The American Civil War.

The House Divided speech had a specific audience known as the Union which was made up of delegates from each state. When Lincoln gave his speech the delegates from the northern states agreed with Lincoln. However, those that were from the southern states were rather disgusted with Lincoln’s speech, even starting arguments with Lincoln. Douglas one of the delegates from the south believed that the country should live in popular sovereignty, a divided country. A country that would allow the northern and southern states to coexist peacefully in their own way.

When Lincoln gave his speech to the Union he had hoped for success in ending the constant battle between a "half-slave and half-free" country (Foner 2010 p.99). At that time, the speech was causing nothing but more tension and conflict between delegates. At the end, when The American Civil War was over and the north won. The country became united and the war on slavery was over.

References

Foner, Eric (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-393-06618-0.