jun 16, 1858 - House-Divided Speech

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The senator election for Illinois in 1858 took place between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had only served a two-year term in Congress as a Whig and was not very well-known in comparison to Douglas (who was running for reelection). Lincoln spoke a lot on the morality of slavery even though he was not an abolitionist. He was nominated as the Republican candidate, so he went on to deliver the House-divided speech as a form of celebration; this speech talked about how the nation and its government cannot continue with a half free and half slave system. The speech won Lincoln fame and resulted in many southerners to consider Lincoln a radical.

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