Issue or Problem?

Can the United States remain united, while divided on the issue of slavery?

(Side 1: Stephen Douglas) Min Jae

(Side 2: Abraham Lincoln) DShawn

Purpose/Goal
Side 1:
In the debate, Douglass goal appears to be to maintain the status quo, meaning that slavery is
still legal where its legal and vice versa. He states in the beginning of the excerpt that when the
Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, that the inalienable rights and
equality was for the white man and the white man only. While he does acknowledge that
morally, blacks should be given equal rights, he says that it would be unclear what privileges
they should receive and to what extent. He believes that the US need not be divided on the
issue of slavery, and that if states kept to themselves and not concern themselves into the
politics of others, slavery could exist in the country without there being a split.

Side 2:
Lincolns goal was to abolish slavery, but during the debate he was really targeting Douglas and
the southern people with his reasoning for why slavery should be abolished. In defence he
asked Douglas and his friends why keep coming to this situation and not leave the country how
the father founders left it, which was without slavery. Douglas didnt agree and his goals during
this debate was to get everyone to leave the policy how it is. This meant slavery wouldnt be
abolished and that state with slaves will continue, but Lincoln wasnt letting that. This was meant
to which is why he than made a great point to why Douglas kept inferring that Lincoln was for
setting the free and slave states at war, but this isnt what he was for to why this counterclaim
came into play where he stated, When the institution was placed in that attitude by those who
made the Constitution, did they make any war? This was a strong counterpoint by Lincoln,
which is why Douglas had nothing in response to what Lincoln had to say at the debate.

Point of View
Side 1 :
In the debate against Lincoln, Douglas believes that the US can remain united despite being
divided on the issue of slavery. He states that if individual states decided for themselves
whether or not they should become slave or free states and if other states and if other states
minded their own business and kept to themselves, the issue of slavery shouldnt be significant
enough to split the country. He also believes that the best policy would be for individual states to
decide whether to have slavery in their state and whether or not these slaves would be given
rights. He further states that if states minded their own business and not interfere with other
states politics, that the US would not go to war.

Side 2:
Lincoln believes the country will split because of the issue of slavery within the country. His
thoughts on the issue of slavery was that the country would result in split country because the
southern states want slavery, but the northern states want to abolish slavery. Lincoln was with
the northern states during the war. Lincoln disagrees with Douglass idea of the policy of states
having the right to decide themselves if they allow slavery or not. He thought this was a bad
policy because this would go against the 49th parallel and slavery needs to be abolished as a
country.

Evidence/Data
Side 1:
In the beginning of the excerpt of the speech, Douglas repeatedly states that only the white man
is entitled to the rights described in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, saying, I
hold this government was established on the white basis. It was established by white men for
the benefit of white men. His belief that individual states should decide for themselves the
issue of slavery and should not interfere in the politics of other states is stated when he says, If
we do not like it, we will keep away from it, and if she does not not like ours let her stay at home,
mind her own business and leave us alone. We in this sentence is the people of Illinois, and
she is the entire state of Kentucky in general.

Side 2:
He stated at the springfield speech, a house divided against itself cannot stand. From this
quote by Lincoln one can infer he means, that if the country splits neither of the two halves can
live on their own. This was because both of the two halves produces resources and living
structures for each other, so with the division of the country they both lose the connection of
having those resources. With the shipment of slaves still coming to America it made the
argument for the south stronger, along with the fact that slave owners didnt have to pay the
slaves to work. The slaves produced lots of cotton for the south during the war, which in the
north they paid workers in factories and didnt produce as much cotton as the south. The
amount of cotton produced by the north compared to the south is insignificant, the south
producing 5.344 million and the north producing a small amount of 43 thousand. This difference
is huge and the cotton was keeping the south afloat. This deflated the north, but made them
come together and fight strongly against the south.

Concepts and Ideas

Side 1:
A key concept Douglas states is that white people are the only one's that are entitled to the
rights that are explicitly stated in the Constitution. A key concept he states near the end of the
speech is the fact that states should decide for themselves whether or not they should be a
slave state and that other states should not interfere with their decisions. This is important
because it is Douglass belief that a Civil War could be avoided if the above happened, which is
a bit of flawed logic. This idea that states could decide themselves would not be met well by
other states. One can make the basic assumption that this idea would not work because the
issue of slavery was so far reaching that there was really no way for states to mind their own
business. What other states decided in regards to slavery affected every state, not just their
own. In congress for example, the reason why there needed to be an equal number of slave and
free states was because of representation in Congress, and if there were more free than slave
and vice versa, the majority would be able to make decisions the other would not like. Banning
slavery, the south thought, would be disastrous to the economy and they made sure that they
were their voices were not drowned out by the Northerners.

Side 2:
Lincoln made many key points, one of the concepts he brought up was the fact that we as a
country are letting slavery bring the country to thoughts of splitting into one as a whole. This was
a good concept to bring up because this got the south and also Douglas to think about what was
really happening, with the split of America both the south and north would fail as their own
country. Due to the fact that both sides depend on one another proves that they cannot stand
as stated by Lincoln. A major key concept that he also brought up was why not leave America
the way the founding fathers left it, which was without slavery in a sense that, also fighting with
in the country shouldnt bring us the verge of splitting. Lincoln stated, When the institution was
placed in that attitude by those who made the Constitution, did they make any war? This quote
from Lincoln is saying that we should go about this disagreement like the founding fathers of
America did, which was not fighting because this could lead to things such as war. By them not
talking it out it lead to the Civil war, which is why if they would have taken the pathway of Lincoln
and handling this issue without fighting maybe the Civil war wouldnt have happened.

Assumptions
Side 1 :
Douglas makes a lot of assumptions about the actions of the Republican Party. One is that they
are trying to instigate a war and that they are in the wrong in how they are dealing with slavery.
Many Democrats believed that while slavery was wrong, it needed to stay or else the Souths
economy would collapse, and they also believed that the Northern Republicans were trying to
destroy their economy. The last few lines in the speech show this as he jabs the party and
implies that they are at fault if war begins. Another assumption, a false one, is the belief that the
US could be united if states decide for themselves the issue of slavery and minded their own
business. The truth is, the issue stretched beyond just slavery. Many southern states were
worried that they would be outnumbered in Congress by free states and as a result, all the
states were worried about the designation of new territories and states. The issue of slavery
was to far reaching for state to just mind their own business.

Side 2:
The battle of Fort Stevens was a huge battle, which couldve won the war for the south if they
had won the battle. The assumptions made by Lincoln were smart but also simple minded. As
being a commander of a army putting thousands of troops on the southern boundaries was a
childs move, which the south took advantage of and moved their troops to come from the back
side, northern side of D.C. The battle was serious and Lincolns assumptions were easily
countered.

Inferences
Side 1 :
A small inference he makes in the end of the excerpt is that the Republican Party is trying to
start a war between the North and the South for the benefit of a select few members. He states,
Why should we thus allow a sectional party to agitate this country, to array the North against
the South, and convert us into enemies instead of friends, merely that a few ambitious men may
ride into power on a sectional hobby? This clearly means that he believes that the leaders of
the Republican Party want to start a war for the benefit of themselves, without directly saying it.
He is also marginalizing the party by calling it sectional. One can also infer that Douglas
believed that his party was attempting the keep the peace by maintaining the status quo, and
that the Republicans were attempting to start a war for no reason based on the statement
above.

Side 2:
Lincoln during the war played a huge role. He pulled the north together to barely defeat the
south, which was a inspiration to many Americans. From his knowledge and strategy during the
war against the south showed that he was superior. He wasnt the best commander but the way
he designed his plans based off of his inferences about the south and their attack plans on the
north was amazing. The battle of Fort Stevens by the south was smart, but with the smarts of
Lincoln he put some troops on the northern side, although most of the troops were on the
southern side ready for the south to attack.

Implications/Consequences
Side 1:
There werent many consequences to Douglass beliefs, but his message was not strong
enough for northern voters to vote for him and he lost the election. Him losing the election had
severe implications, such that it lead to the Civil War. Right after Lincoln won the election, South
Carolina seceded from the Union, and many other states followed. This lead to the Civil War, a
most violent war that ended with many southern states in ruin. Douglas was not a very strong
candidate for president, and because he did not believe that slavery should be completely legal,
most of the southern states voted for a an alternate candidate, and Douglas finished third in
electoral voting. It is more the implications of Lincoln winning that had an effect than Douglas
losing.

Side 2:
Some consequences came from Lincolns win in the election. These consequences werent
huge but factored, such as paying more factory workers and also the start of a massive
destructive death war between the northern and southern America. The implication of the Civil
war starting was massive and nearly lead to America parting as a country. Lincolns win left
thousands of their own Americans dead after the Civil war. The amount of implications for
Lincoln winning were more and definitely had a bigger effect on America as a whole. One of the
implications that affected America greatly was the policies that Lincoln pushed during his
presidency, which angered the southern and began the Civil war. More implications came out of
Lincoln winning than Douglas losing, but we cant say what would have happened if Douglas
won the voting and Lincoln losing.