Lincoln and Slavery Annotation Lincoln and Slavery A nation forged
Lincoln and Slavery Annotation Lincoln and Slavery A nation forged from a war for independence, the United States of America was founded on the principal belief that “all men are created equal,” and that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson’s famous words did not apply to “all men” however, as these rights were not extended to slaves, and their exclusion from the American dream would ultimately plunge the country into its deepest nightmare. Though many of the Founding Fathers held antislavery beliefs, the newly formed nation was already reliant on and wedded to the “peculiar institution.” The Constitution of the United States, drafted in 1787, included numerous provisions regarding slavery, though it was never explicitly mentioned. The Constitution allowed the continued importation of slaves for 20 more years (until 1808), strengthened fugitive slave laws, and also established that each slave, though not allowed to vote, would be counted as three-fifths of a United States citizen. The Three-Fifths Compromise was an attempt to balance the representation of slave and free states in Congress, and was followed by many additional measures to maintain this balance.
Comment [A1]: Lincoln frequently refers to this time, these documents, and the men who created them.
Comment [A2]: A euphemism for slavery
Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery were shaped at an early age. The family’s Separate Baptists church opposed slavery, forming the basis for Lincoln’s moral objection to the institution. As a young man, the primarily self-educated Lincoln was torn between the sentiment of the Declaration of Independence and the laws set forth by the Constitution. Lincoln believed that the framers of the Constitution had skillfully and correctly set slavery on a course toward eventual and ultimate extinction. Throughout his life, Lincoln continued his self-education by reading voraciously on myriad topics, including the law. When he traveled Illinois as a circuit lawyer, Lincoln honed his social and storytelling skills. Life on the circuit was both enjoyable and fruitful as the young lawyer passed through dozens of Illinois towns, meeting and speaking with everyone he met along the way and gaining a reputation as an outstanding lawyer and public speaker. In the evenings, Lincoln was frequently called upon to share stories, and as his law partner William Herndon recalled, kept his audience “in full laughter till near daylight.” Lincoln’s stories were more than humorous anecdotes, however. He sought to truly connect with his audience, and frequently wove in proverbs that could be applied directly to their lives. His gift was his ability to convey practical wisdom in the form of entertaining stories that his listeners could understand and retell to others, often using repetition to help his main points endure. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 drastically changed Lincoln’s view on slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850 had successfully maintained the balance between free and slave states and kept the nation intact through turbulent times. Enacting the concept of “popular sovereignty,” the Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed the two great compromises, which prohibited slavery in all territories north of the
Comment [A3]: (adv.) hungrily; insatiably
Comment [A4]: The use of proverbs, anecdotes, and repetition were tools Lincoln used to craft his speeches.
Comment [A5]: This is the idea that the people were the actual rulers of a democracy through their elected officials
Lincoln and Slavery Annotation 36˚30’ line. Popular sovereignty dictated that residents of each territory would decide for themselves whether or not to permit slavery. To Lincoln, this reopened the entire debate over slavery in the territories, and symbolized southern fervor. Out of politics for 6 years, the 45-year old Lincoln was roused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act “as he had never been before.” While he previously viewed slavery as an institution headed toward extinction, he saw the new act as an aggressive step toward the expansion and perpetuation of slavery in the United States. In his first major public speeches, Lincoln framed Kansas-Nebraska and popular sovereignty as synonyms for the expansion of slavery and argued that the existence of legal slavery was a violation of the central principles of the Declaration of Independence. “No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other man’s consent,” Lincoln argued.
Comment [A6]: Lincoln frequently cited the Declaration in his speeches.
Lincoln re-entered politics when he challenged Stephen Douglas’s Senate seat in 1858. Accepting the newly formed antislavery Republican Party’s nomination, Lincoln began his campaign by asserting that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln and Douglas, the champion of popular sovereignty, engaged in a series of seven debates that resulted in a Douglas victory, but also signaled Lincoln’s ascent to the national stage. Bolstered by the fame gained through the debates, Lincoln accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1860 and ran on a platform of not eliminating slavery where it existed, but of strong opposition to its expansion. Winning the North and receiving no support from the South, Lincoln secured a narrow victory in the four-man race. Tensions in the southern states had been building over the previous 4 decades, and with the election of an antislavery candidate, South Carolina opted to secede from the Union. Over the next six weeks, six additional states seceded, thrusting the nation into Civil War. Through his experiences on the circuit and his debates with Douglas, Lincoln had become a master orator. He engaged audiences by connecting with them directly, often harking back to the revolutionary days, counting on a story that maintained its power to stir emotion and hold his listeners’ attention. In an address to the New Jersey State Senate in early 1861, President-elect Lincoln utilized nostalgia to captivate his audience. By sharing his personal reverence for the state’s key role in the Revolutionary War and acknowledging that New Jersey did not support him in the election, he evoked a sense of history within his listeners and communicated his own personal humility. A day later, Lincoln delivered a speech in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the site where the Declaration of Independence had been signed. Clearly moved by the hallowed history of his physical surroundings, Lincoln took the opportunity to share his intense love for the document: “I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” Employing a measure of hyperbole, Lincoln asserted that he “would rather be assassinated on this spot” than surrender the Declaration’s principle of equality for all men.
Comment [A7]: (n.) longing for the past
Comment [A8]: This paragraph gives contextual information about the speeches given to the New Jersey Senate and House.
Comment [A9]: (n.) exaggeration
Lincoln and Slavery Annotation In 1863, with the Civil War in its third year, Lincoln made an address to supporters 3 days after July 4. Lincoln reflected on the significance and history of that date, framing the current conflict as “an effort to overthrow the principle that all men are created equal.” This speech was echoed on November 19, 1863, when Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. He again invoked the nation’s birth date and saluted the soldiers that gave their lives to preserve the Union. Lincoln implored the audience to remember that “these dead shall not have died in vain,” and that “government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” After re-election in 1864, Lincoln gave his second inaugural address as the South was on the verge of surrender. Lincoln employed religious rhetoric to illustrate the common bond among all Americans, and expressed hope for a lasting peace.
Comment [A10]: In this paragraph, the informational article gives context for the speeches on day 3 of the unit. Comment [A11]: A tool Lincoln used was direct allusion to the Bible, to familiar verses and quotations his audience would know.
Comment [A1]: Lincoln frequently refers to this time, these documents, and the men who created them.
Comment [A2]: A euphemism for slavery
Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery were shaped at an early age. The family’s Separate Baptists church opposed slavery, forming the basis for Lincoln’s moral objection to the institution. As a young man, the primarily self-educated Lincoln was torn between the sentiment of the Declaration of Independence and the laws set forth by the Constitution. Lincoln believed that the framers of the Constitution had skillfully and correctly set slavery on a course toward eventual and ultimate extinction. Throughout his life, Lincoln continued his self-education by reading voraciously on myriad topics, including the law. When he traveled Illinois as a circuit lawyer, Lincoln honed his social and storytelling skills. Life on the circuit was both enjoyable and fruitful as the young lawyer passed through dozens of Illinois towns, meeting and speaking with everyone he met along the way and gaining a reputation as an outstanding lawyer and public speaker. In the evenings, Lincoln was frequently called upon to share stories, and as his law partner William Herndon recalled, kept his audience “in full laughter till near daylight.” Lincoln’s stories were more than humorous anecdotes, however. He sought to truly connect with his audience, and frequently wove in proverbs that could be applied directly to their lives. His gift was his ability to convey practical wisdom in the form of entertaining stories that his listeners could understand and retell to others, often using repetition to help his main points endure. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 drastically changed Lincoln’s view on slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850 had successfully maintained the balance between free and slave states and kept the nation intact through turbulent times. Enacting the concept of “popular sovereignty,” the Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed the two great compromises, which prohibited slavery in all territories north of the
Comment [A3]: (adv.) hungrily; insatiably
Comment [A4]: The use of proverbs, anecdotes, and repetition were tools Lincoln used to craft his speeches.
Comment [A5]: This is the idea that the people were the actual rulers of a democracy through their elected officials
Lincoln and Slavery Annotation 36˚30’ line. Popular sovereignty dictated that residents of each territory would decide for themselves whether or not to permit slavery. To Lincoln, this reopened the entire debate over slavery in the territories, and symbolized southern fervor. Out of politics for 6 years, the 45-year old Lincoln was roused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act “as he had never been before.” While he previously viewed slavery as an institution headed toward extinction, he saw the new act as an aggressive step toward the expansion and perpetuation of slavery in the United States. In his first major public speeches, Lincoln framed Kansas-Nebraska and popular sovereignty as synonyms for the expansion of slavery and argued that the existence of legal slavery was a violation of the central principles of the Declaration of Independence. “No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other man’s consent,” Lincoln argued.
Comment [A6]: Lincoln frequently cited the Declaration in his speeches.
Lincoln re-entered politics when he challenged Stephen Douglas’s Senate seat in 1858. Accepting the newly formed antislavery Republican Party’s nomination, Lincoln began his campaign by asserting that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln and Douglas, the champion of popular sovereignty, engaged in a series of seven debates that resulted in a Douglas victory, but also signaled Lincoln’s ascent to the national stage. Bolstered by the fame gained through the debates, Lincoln accepted the Republican nomination for president in 1860 and ran on a platform of not eliminating slavery where it existed, but of strong opposition to its expansion. Winning the North and receiving no support from the South, Lincoln secured a narrow victory in the four-man race. Tensions in the southern states had been building over the previous 4 decades, and with the election of an antislavery candidate, South Carolina opted to secede from the Union. Over the next six weeks, six additional states seceded, thrusting the nation into Civil War. Through his experiences on the circuit and his debates with Douglas, Lincoln had become a master orator. He engaged audiences by connecting with them directly, often harking back to the revolutionary days, counting on a story that maintained its power to stir emotion and hold his listeners’ attention. In an address to the New Jersey State Senate in early 1861, President-elect Lincoln utilized nostalgia to captivate his audience. By sharing his personal reverence for the state’s key role in the Revolutionary War and acknowledging that New Jersey did not support him in the election, he evoked a sense of history within his listeners and communicated his own personal humility. A day later, Lincoln delivered a speech in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the site where the Declaration of Independence had been signed. Clearly moved by the hallowed history of his physical surroundings, Lincoln took the opportunity to share his intense love for the document: “I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” Employing a measure of hyperbole, Lincoln asserted that he “would rather be assassinated on this spot” than surrender the Declaration’s principle of equality for all men.
Comment [A7]: (n.) longing for the past
Comment [A8]: This paragraph gives contextual information about the speeches given to the New Jersey Senate and House.
Comment [A9]: (n.) exaggeration
Lincoln and Slavery Annotation In 1863, with the Civil War in its third year, Lincoln made an address to supporters 3 days after July 4. Lincoln reflected on the significance and history of that date, framing the current conflict as “an effort to overthrow the principle that all men are created equal.” This speech was echoed on November 19, 1863, when Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. He again invoked the nation’s birth date and saluted the soldiers that gave their lives to preserve the Union. Lincoln implored the audience to remember that “these dead shall not have died in vain,” and that “government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” After re-election in 1864, Lincoln gave his second inaugural address as the South was on the verge of surrender. Lincoln employed religious rhetoric to illustrate the common bond among all Americans, and expressed hope for a lasting peace.
Comment [A10]: In this paragraph, the informational article gives context for the speeches on day 3 of the unit. Comment [A11]: A tool Lincoln used was direct allusion to the Bible, to familiar verses and quotations his audience would know.
