Lincoln Midterm Identification

Northwest Ordinance

It was passed while southern delegates were at the Constitutional Convention and it prohibited the spread of slavery into the Northwest Territory which includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, plus a portion of Minnesota.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state establishing a balance between the number of free as slave states. In addition, it implemented the 36, 30 line

Mexican American War

Dispute over what territory belonged to America vs. Mexico during the years 1846-1848 due to the confusion over the border of Texas. Lincoln believes it to be unconstitutionally started since they could not determine the exact spot that blood was spilled. While Lincoln opposed the war, he still voted to send funds to the troops. 

Wilmot Proviso

1846. This amendment would have prohibited slavery in the territories bought from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. It passed in the house but not in the Senate due to opposition from Southern representative. 

1850 Compromise

Made by Henry Clay and Stephan A. Douglas. It admitted California as a free state, the territories of Utah and New Mexico as states to be decided by popular sovereignty, banned the slave trade in Washington D.C., made Fugitive Slave laws stricter, and Texas gets her debts payed off.

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Repealed the Compromise of 1820 and instilled Popular Sovereignty into the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. 

Popular Sovereignty

Letting the people decide on any and all matters for themselves.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

This case states that slavery is a constitutional right and that states cannot ban slavery. It also states that the Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional.

“House Divided” Speech

Lincoln tries to make Douglas unappetizing to both Democrats and Republicans. The country will become either all free or all slave.

Lecompton Constitution

A pro slavery constitution passed in Kansas. It only passed because all the anti slavery people did not vote.

Elijah Lovejoy

Abolitionist who had his printing press thrown in a river. A martyr for the abolitionist cause

William H. Herndon

Abraham Lincoln’s last law partner from 1844-1861. Wrote a shakey biography

Henry Clay

Lincoln’s beau ideal of a statesmen also the Great Compromiser. Made the Compromises of 1820 and 1850.

Roger B. Taney

The chief justice of the supreme court from 1836-1864. He delivered the Dred Scott decision.

John C. Calhoun

Extremist of the Confederacy cause. Said slavery was a positive good and benefited the slave and master.

George Fitzhugh

Slavery is also a positive good. Life for a slave is better than a poor factory worker of the North

William Lloyd Garrison

Abolitionist Extremist. He would burn a copy of the Constitution every time he spoke as he believed it was a pact with the devil since you cannot compromise with slavery.

Joshua F. Speed

Lincoln’s childhood friend who he would often write letters too, often containing very raw, candor thoughts on slavery and liberty

Stephan A. Douglas

Lincoln’s opponent in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. He was a big fan of popular sovereignty and had no opinion on slavery besides that of letting the people decide. 

Lord Charnwood

Author of our supplementary book. Provides explanations for the arguments provided by Lincoln on many topics.

Evaluate this statement: “Lincoln’s early career shows little evidence of the greatness that was to be his as President. He was, to be blunt, a party hack. His ideas did not expand beyond those of the man who was his hero, Henry Clay, and his concerns were largely restricted to mundane economic questions.” 

No, i.e. Lyceum and Temperance. Look at Lincoln’s behavior and does it follow through with the behavior of a party hack. Spotty Lincoln and going farther than the other whigs.  

In the Lyceum Address, what dangers does Lincoln see for the perpetuation of America’s Political institutions? What solution(s) does he propose? 

1. Dangers and solutions 

1. Rather than having formal judgement, men are resorting to mob  

1. Reverence for the law should be the lifeblood of the country 

2. Swear upon the laws and follow them and hold distain and hatred for those who violate them. 

2. The threat is internal, not external (Vicksburg and St. Louis.) 

1. Vicksburg 

1. It turned from hanging gamblers, to black men, to white men, to strangers 

2. St. Louis 

1. The mulatto man McIntosh was a free man who was burned to death by mob rule despite being a free man.  

3. Indirect Results 

1. Vicksburg 

1. Everyone will eventually be hurt by mob rule 

4. Direct Results 

1. Vicksburg 

1. Hanging gamblers is of little consequence, the world will be better off 

5. Solution:  

1. Follow the law even if the law sucks. Advocate for the changing of a law but do not break the law in the meantime. 

The Temperance Address is probably Lincoln’s oddest speech. What is this speech about? 

1. A speech about speaking. Leading people with humility. 

2. Old reformers 

1. Preachers, lawyers, and hired agents have ulterior motives. Their tactics are impolite and unjust as they denounce/condemn drunks and don’t understand the history behind alcohol.  

3. New Reformers 

1. Former drunks and everyone else. They convince people through personal testimonies, drop of honey approach. You imitate Christ when you sign the Temperance Pledge. Argument of reason: alcohol affects everyone, you were just lucky to not be afflicted by it. 

Why was Henry Clay Lincoln’s beau ideal of a statesman? 

1. Always the man for a crisis, he was a unifier. Union man first and earned the respect of both parties. Both men are self-made men. He loved his country while it was his own, it was a free country.  

2. Pg 280 of Basler. Whatever he did, he did for the whole country. A deep devotion to human liberty 

3. Even Henry Clay is against Stephan Douglas’s interpretation of the constitution and would see it as blowing out the moral lights around us 

4. He understood the era of independence and the founding era as he grew up with the nation. He is a representation of the two sides trying to coexist.  

What was Lincoln’s moral objection to Douglas’s “popular sovereignty” doctrine? 

1. Peoria Address, the big history lesson  

2. It read morality out of any question and being able to vote on morality. Might equals right is not right. 

3. Pop sov breeds violence seen in Bleeding Kansas. 

4. Depriving our foundation of our morals. 

What were the main issues in the Dred Scott case, and what were Taney’s main arguments for deciding them in the way that he did? What do you think is the greatest weakness, if any, in his reasoning and why? 

1. Dred Scott is declared not a citizen because citizen is never defined under the fourteenth ammendment. Black people were never meant to have these rights. Missouri compromise is overridden and slavery is now a constitutional right.  

2. He never uses the 3/5ths clause to back up his point.  

3. He says that slavery is distinctly and expressly affirmed in the Constitution, yet the word slavery never appears in the Constitution 

4. The founders couldn’t have been hypocrites.  

It is sometimes argued that the “House Divided” speech helped to bring on the Civil War. What justification could be given for Lincoln’s making such an inflammatory speech? 

1. The country will either be fully free or fully free which the south saw as fighting words to take away their slaves 

2. All it takes is a second Dred Scott case to make free state Constitutions unconstitutional 

3. Trying to make Douglas unappetizing to the Republican party 

Lincoln’s second Freeport question was: “Can the people of a United States Territory, in any lawful way, against the wish of any citizen on the United State, exclude slavery from its limits prior to the formation of a State Constitution? What was Douglas’ answer to this question, and what did Lincoln attempt to show about the answer in the course of the debates? 

1. Douglas’s answer was police regulations and that slavery will only be upheld by local regulation. He tries to justify pop sov and Dred Scott  

1. Douglas is the best abolitionist according to the Fugitive slave clause

Consider Lincoln’s views on race and slavery during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in evaluating this statement: “If we take him (Lincoln) at his word on race as well as on slavery, he comes across as a convinced believer in white supremacy.” 

1. Charleston is the one where he says he has never supported black citizenship 

2. Ottawa says they have not been his equal; does not say never will be.  

3. Points to the Declaration and says it applies to EVERYONE 

4. When you start reading race out of the DoI where does it stop 

What “challenge” did Lincoln issue to Douglas and his supporters at Galesburg? What response did he receive at Alton? Did Douglas ever answer the challenge? 

1. Show me the receipts  

2. Badly researched research paper 

3. Old line whig says that henry clay says that there could never be pure equality 

1. Lincoln’s response: Douglas cherry picked the line and Clay does say that the Declaration is true. Clay says they are equal but it is hard to carry out. Old line whig takes it as they are not equal as they can’t be carried out. Lincoln says that they are equal in the principles of the DoI but not in faculties and diversity.  

4. Alton: Douglas says that they meant all white men of European descent.