1.

"A House Divided" Speech (June 16, 1858)

Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln delivered his "House Divided" speech upon accepting the Republican nomination for Senate in Springfield, Illinois. In this speech he famously states "a house divided against itself cannot stand" in describing the coming national conflict over slavery.

Mr. PRESIDENT and Gentlemen of the Convention. If we could first know where we are and whither we are tendin! we could then "etter #ud!ewhat to do and how to do it. $e are now far into the fifth %ear since a &olic% was initiated with the avowed o"#ect andconfident &romise of &uttin! an end to slaver% a!itation. 'nder the o&eration of that &olic% that a!itation has not onl% not ceased "ut has constantly augmented. In my o&inion it will not cease until a crisis shall have "een reached and &assed. () house divided a!ainst itself cannot stand.( I "elieve this !overnment cannot endure &ermanentl% half slave and half free. I do not e*&ect the 'nion to "e dissolved--I do not e*&ect the house to fall--"ut I do e*&ect it will cease to "e divided. It will "ecome all one thin! or all the other. Either the opponents of slaver% will arrest the further s&read of it and &lace it where the &u"lic mind shall rest in the "elief that it is in course of ultimate e*tinction+ or its advocates will &ush it forward till it shall "ecome alike lawful in all the States old as well as new--North as well as South. ,ave we no tendency to the latter condition.et an% one who dou"ts carefull% contem&late that now almost com&lete le!al com"ination//&iece of machinery so to s&eak//com&ounded of the Ne"raska doctrine and the Dred Scott decision. .et him consider not onl% what work the machiner% is ada&ted to do and how well ada&ted+ "ut also let him stud% the history of its construction and trace if he can or rather fail if he can to trace the evidences of desi!n and concert of action amon! its chief "osses from the "e!innin!.

0ut so far Congress onl% had acted+ and an indorsement "% the &eo&le real or a&&arent was indis&ensa"le to save the &oint alread% !ained and !ive chance for more. The new %ear of 1234 found slaver% e*cluded from more than half the States "% State Constitutions and from most of the national territor% "% Con!ressional &rohi"ition. 5our da%s later commenced the stru!!le which ended in re&ealin! that Con!ressional &rohi"ition. This o&ened all the national territor% to slaver% and was the first &oint !ained. This necessit% had not "een overlooked+ "ut had "een &rovided for as well as mi!ht "e in the nota"le ar!ument of "squatter sovereignty," otherwise called "sacred right of self government," which latter &hrase thou!h e*&ressive of the onl% ri!htful "asis of an% !overnment was so &erverted in this attem&ted use of it as to amount to #ust this6 That if an% one man choose to enslave another no third man shall "e allowed to o"#ect. That ar!ument was incor&orated into the Ne"raska "ill itself in the lan!ua!e which follows6 "It being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into any erritory or state, not e!clude it therefrom" but to leave the people thereof perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, sub#ect only to the Constitution of the $nited States%" Then o&ened the roar of loose declamation in favor of (S7uatter Soverei!nt% ( and (Sacred ri!ht of self !overnment.( (0ut ( said o&&osition mem"ers (let us "e more specific//let us amend the "ill so as to e*&ressl% declare that the &eo&le of the territor% may e*clude slaver%.( (Not we ( said the friends of the measure+ and down the% voted the amendment. $hile the Ne"raska "ill was &assin! throu!h con!ress a law case involvin! the 7uestion of a ne!roe8s freedom "% reason of his owner havin! voluntaril% taken him first into a free state and then a territor% covered "% the con!ressional &rohi"ition and held him as a slave for a lon! time in each was &assin! throu!h the '.S. Circuit Court for the District of Missouri+

and "oth Ne"raska "ill and law suit were "rou!ht to a decision in the same month of Ma% 1234. The ne!roe8s name was (Dred Scott ( which name now desi!nates the decision finall% made in the case. &efore the then ne*t Presidential election the law case came to and was ar!ued in the Su&reme Court of the 'nited States+ "ut the decision of it was deferred until after the election. Still before the election Senator Trum"ull on the floor of the Senate re7uests the leadin! advocate of the Ne"raska "ill to state his opinion whether the &eo&le of a territor% can constitutionall% e*clude slaver% from their limits+ and the latter answers (That is a 7uestion for the Su&reme Court.( The election came. Mr. 0uchanan was elected and the indorsement such as it was secured. That was the second &oint !ained. The indorsement however fell short of a clear &o&ular ma#orit% "% nearl% four hundred thousand votes and so &erha&s was not overwhelmin!l% relia"le and satisfactor%. The outgoing President in his last annual messa!e as im&ressivel% as &ossi"le echoed back u&on the &eo&le the weight and authority of the indorsement. The Su&reme Court met a!ain+ did not announce their decision "ut ordered a re/ar!ument. The Presidential inau!uration came and still no decision of the court+ "ut the incoming President in his inau!ural address ferventl% e*horted the &eo&le to a"ide "% the forthcomin! decision whatever it might be. Then in a few da%s came the decision. The re&uted author of the Ne"raska "ill finds an earl% occasion to make a s&eech at this ca&itol indorsin! the Dred Scott Decision and vehementl% denouncin! all o&&osition to it. The new President too sei9es the earl% occasion of the Silliman letter to indorse and stron!l% construe that decision and to e*&ress his astonishmentthat an% different view had ever "een entertained. )t len!th a s7ua""le s&rin!s u& "etween the President and the author of the Ne"raska "ill on the mere 7uestion of fact whether the .ecom&ton constitution was or was not in an% #ust sense made "% the &eo&le of :ansas+ and in that s7ua""le the latter declares that all he wants is a fair vote for the

&eo&le and that he cares not whether slaver% "e voted down or voted up. I do not understand his declaration that he cares not whether slaver% "e voted down or voted u& to "e intended "% him other than as an apt definition of the policy he would im&ress u&on the &u"lic mind//the principle for which he declares he has suffered much and is read% to suffer to the end. )nd well ma% he clin! to that &rinci&le. If he has an% &arental feelin! well ma% he clin! to it. That &rinci&le is the onl% shred left of his ori!inal Ne"raska doctrine. 'nder the Dred Scott decision (s7uatter soverei!nt%( s7uatted out of e*istence tum"led down like tem&orar% scaffoldin!//like the mould at the foundr% served throu!h one "last and fell "ack into loose sand//hel&ed to carr% an election and then was kicked to the winds. ,is late #ointstru!!le with the Re&u"licans a!ainst the .ecom&ton Constitution involves nothin! of the ori!inal Ne"raska doctrine. That stru!!le was made on a &oint the ri!ht of a &eo&le to make their own constitution u&on which he and the Re&u"licans have never differed. The several &oints of the Dred Scott decision in connection with Senator Dou!las8 (care not( &olic% constitute the &iece of machiner% in its presentstate of advancement. This was the third &oint !ained. The working &oints of that machiner% are6 5irst that no ne!ro slave im&orted as such from )frica and no descendant of such slave can ever "e a citi'en of an% State in the sense of that term as used in the Constitution of the 'nited States. This &oint is made in order to de&rive the ne!ro in ever% &ossi"le event of the "enefit of this &rovision of the 'nited States Constitution which declares that// (The citi9ens of each State shall "e entitled to all &rivile!es and immunities of citi9ens in the several States.( Secondl% that (su"#ect to the Constitution of the 'nited States ( neither Congress nor a erritorial (egislature can e*clude slaver% from an% 'nited States territor%. This &oint is made in order that individual men ma% fill up the territories with slaves without dan!er of losin! them as &ro&ert% and thus to enhance the chances of permanency to the institution throu!h all the future.

Thirdl% that whether the holdin! a ne!ro in actual slaver% in a free State makes him free as a!ainst the holder the 'nited States courts will not decide "ut will leave to "e decided "% the courts of an% slave State the ne!ro ma% "e forced into "% the master. This &oint is made not to "e &ressed immediately+ "ut if ac7uiesced in for a while and a&&arentl% indorsed "% the &eo&le at an election then to sustain the lo!ical conclusion that what Dred Scott8s master mi!ht lawfull% do with Dred Scott in the free State of Illinois ever% other master ma% lawfull% do with an% other one or one thousand slaves in Illinois or in an% other free State. )u*iliar% to all this and workin! hand in hand with it the Ne"raska doctrine or what is left of it is to educate and mould &u"lic o&inion at leastNorthern &u"lic o&inion to not care whether slaver% is voted down or voted up. This shows e*actl% where we now are+ and partially also whither we are tendin!. It will throw additional li!ht on the latter to !o "ack and run the mind over the strin! of historical facts alread% stated. Several thin!s will now a&&ear less dark and mysterious than the% did when the% were trans&irin!. The &eo&le were to "e left (&erfectl% free( (su"#ect onl% to the Constitution.( $hat theConstitution had to do with it outsiders could not then see. Plainl% enou!h now it was an e*actl% fitted niche for the Dred Scott decision to afterwards come in and declare the perfect freedom of the &eo&le to "e #ust no freedom at all. $h% was the amendment e*&ressl% declarin! the ri!ht of the &eo&le to e*clude slaver% voted down- Plainl% enou!h now the ado&tion of it would have s&oiled the niche for the Dred Scott decision. $h% was the court decision held u&- $h% even a Senator8s individual o&inion withheld till after the Presidential election- Plainl% enou!h now the s&eakin! out then would have dama!ed the "perfectly free" ar!ument u&on which the election was to "e carried. $h% the outgoing President8s felicitation on the indorsement- $h% the dela% of a rear!ument- $h% the incomin! President8s advance e*hortation in favor of the decision-

These thin!s look like the cautious patting and petting a s&irited horse &re&arator% to mountin! him when it is dreaded that he ma% !ive the rider a fall. )nd wh% the hast% after indorsements of the decision "% the President and others$e can not a"solutel% know that all these e*act ada&tations are the result of &reconcert. 0ut when we see a lot of framed tim"ers different &ortions of which we know have "een !otten out at different times and &laces and "% different workmen//Ste&hen 5ranklin Ro!er and ;ames for instance//and when we see these tim"ers #oined to!ether and see the% e*actl% make the frame of a house or a mill all the tenons and mortices e*actl% fittin! and all the len!ths and &ro&ortions of the different &ieces e*actl% ada&ted to their res&ective &laces and not a &iece too man% or too few//not omittin! even scaffoldin!//or if a sin!le &iece "e lackin! we can see the &lace in the frame e*actl% fitted and &re&ared to %et "rin! such &iece in//in such a case we find it im&ossi"le to notbelieve that Ste&hen and 5ranklin and Ro!er and ;ames all understood one another from the "e!innin! and all worked u&on a common plan or draftdrawn u& "efore the first lick was struck. It should not "e overlooked that "% the Ne"raska "ill the &eo&le of a State as well as erritory were to "e left "perfectly free" "sub#ect only to the Constitution%" $h% mention a State- The% were le!islatin! for territories and not for or about States. Certainl% the &eo&le of a State are and ought to be su"#ect to the Constitution of the 'nited States+ "ut wh% is mention of this lugged into this merel% territorial law- $h% are the &eo&le of a territory and the &eo&le of astate therein lumped to!ether and their relation to the Constitution therein treated as "ein! precisely the same$hile the o&inion of the Court "% Chief ;ustice Tane% in the Dred Scott case and the se&arate o&inions of all the concurrin! ;ud!es e*&ressl% declare that the Constitution of the 'nited States neither &ermits Con!ress nor a Territorial le!islature to e*clude slaver% from an% 'nited States territor% the% all omit to declare whether or not the same Constitution &ermits a state or the &eo&le of a State to e*clude it.

)ossibly this was a mere omission+ "ut who can "e quite sure if Mc.ean or Curtis had sou!ht to !et into the o&inion a declaration of unlimited &ower in the &eo&le of a state to e*clude slaver% from their limits #ust as Chase and Mac% sou!ht to !et such declaration in "ehalf of the &eo&le of a territor% into the Ne"raska "ill//I ask who can "e 7uite sure that it would not have "een voted down in the one case as it had "een in the other. The nearest a&&roach to the &oint of declarin! the &ower of a State over slaver% is made "% ;ud!e Nelson. ,e a&&roaches it more than once usin! the &recise idea and almost the lan!ua!e too of the Ne"raska act. <n one occasion his e*act lan!ua!e is (e*ce&t in cases where the &ower is restrained "% the Constitution of the 'nited States the law of the State is su&reme over the su"#ect of slaver% within its #urisdiction.( In what cases the &ower of the states is so restrained "% the '.S. Constitution is left an open 7uestion &recisel% as the same 7uestion as to the restraint on the &ower of the territories was left o&en in the Ne"raska act. Put that and that to!ether and we have another nice little niche which we ma% ere lon! see filled with another Su&reme Court decision declarin! that the Constitution of the 'nited States does not &ermit a state to e*clude slaver% from its limits. )nd this ma% es&eciall% "e e*&ected if the doctrine of (care not whether slaver% "e voted down or voted up," shall !ain u&on the &u"lic mind sufficientl% to !ive &romise that such a decision can "e maintained when made. Such a decision is all that slaver% now lacks of "ein! alike lawful in all the States. $elcome or unwelcome such decision is &ro"a"l% comin! and will soon "e u&on us unless the &ower of the &resent &olitical d%nast% shall "e met and overthrown. $e shall lie down &leasantl% dreamin! that the &eo&le of *issouri are on the ver!e of makin! their State free+ and we shall awake to the reality instead that the Supreme Court has made Illinois a slave State. To meet and overthrow the &ower of that d%nast% is the work now "efore all those who would &revent that consummation. That is what we have to do.

0ut how can we "est do itThere are those who denounce us openly to their own friends and %et whis&er us softly that Senator +ouglas is the aptest instrument there is with which to effect that o"#ect. hey do not tell us nor has he told us that he wishes an% such o"#ect to "e effected. The% wish us to infer all from the facts that he now has a little 7uarrel with the &resent head of the d%nast%+ and that he has re!ularl% voted with us on a sin!le &oint u&on which he and we have never differed. The% remind us that he is a ver% great man and that the lar!est of us are ver% small ones. .et this "e !ranted. 0ut (a living dog is "etter than a dead lion.( ;ud!e Dou!las if not a dead lion for this work is at least a caged and toothless one. ,ow can he o&&ose the advances of slaver%- ,e don8t carean%thin! a"out it. ,is avowed mission is impressing the (&u"lic heart( to care nothin! a"out it. ) leadin! Dou!las Democratic news&a&er thinks Dou!las8 su&erior talent will "e needed to resist the revival of the )frican slave trade. Does Dou!las "elieve an effort to revive that trade is a&&roachin!- ,e has not said so. Does he really think so- 0ut if it is how can he resist it- 5or %ears he has la"ored to &rove it a sacred right of white men to take ne!ro slaves into the new territories. Can he &ossi"l% show that it is less a sacred ri!ht tobuy them where the% can "e "ou!ht chea&est- )nd un7uestiona"l% the% can "e "ou!ht cheaper in ,frica than in -irginia . ,e has done all in his &ower to reduce the whole 7uestion of slaver% to one of a mere right of property+ and as such how can he o&&ose the forei!n slave trade//how can he refuse that trade in that (&ro&ert%( shall "e (&erfectl% free(//unless he does it as a protection to the home &roduction)nd as the home producers will &ro"a"l% not ask the &rotection he will "e wholl% without a !round of o&&osition. Senator Dou!las holds we know that a man ma% ri!htfull% "e wiser today than he was yesterday//that he ma% ri!htfull% change when he finds himself wron!. 0ut can we for that reason run ahead and infer that he will make an% &articular chan!e of which he himself has !iven no intimation- Can we safely"ase our action u&on an% such vague inference-

Now as ever I wish to not misrepresent ;ud!e Dou!las8 position 7uestion his motives or do ou!ht that can "e &ersonall% offensive to him. $henever if ever he and we can come to!ether on principle so that our great cause ma% have assistance from his great ability I ho&e to have inter&osed no adventitious o"stacle. 0ut clearl% he is not now with us//he does not pretend to "e//he does not promise to ever "e. <ur cause then must "e intrusted to and conducted "% its own undou"ted friends//those whose hands are free whose hearts are in the work//who do care for the result. Two %ears a!o the Re&u"licans of the nation mustered over thirteen hundred thousand stron!. $e did this under the sin!le im&ulse of resistance to a common dan!er with ever% e*ternal circumstance a!ainst us. <f strange, discordant and even hostile elements we !athered from the four winds and formed and fou!ht the "attle throu!h under the constant hot fire of a disci&lined &roud and &am&ered enem%. Did we "rave all then to falter now-//now//when that same enem% is wavering dissevered and "elli!erentThe result is not dou"tful. $e shall not fail//if we stand firm we shall not fail. .ise councils ma% accelerate or mistakes delay it "ut sooner or later the victor% is sure to come. he source for this te!t is/ he Collected .orks of ,braham (incoln%