House Divided Speech

Content Warning: The source material and this guide reference the enslavement of Black Americans and the associated racism and prejudice.

Lincoln uses this term to describe Douglas’s inept stance on slavery. Taking the position of popular sovereignty—that territories should determine on a popular basis whether to accept or reject slavery—Douglas argues that he “cares not” whether slavery is voted up or down. Lincoln argues that this stance both prevents Douglas from being an effective leader and that it is intended to shape public opinion, especially in the north, on slavery. If Douglas could convince the public that slavery is a local issue (i.e., that they should “care not” about it), then the threat of a national movement against it would be neutralized.

This infamous Supreme Court case held that an enslaved person is not entitled to protection under the United States Constitution, nor does such a person have the right to commence a lawsuit in the courts of the United States. Dred Scott was an enslaved man living in Missouri, who was taken by his “master” to the free state of Illinois as well as the Louisiana territory. According to the majority opinion by Chief Justice Taney, an enslaved person is not protected under the “Privileges and Immunities” clause of Article IV, which holds that “the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states” (Taney, Roger Brooke, and Supreme Court Of The United States.