Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln: The Evolution of His Emancipation Policy; An Address Delivered Before the Chicago Historical Society, February 27, 1906
These extracts show how early in the agitation growing out of the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise, Lincoln had taken ground in opposition to slavery and in favor of its gradual abolition - a position which he consistently main tained up to the day Of his election to the Presidency. These views were reiterated in his speech Of July io, 1858, from the balcony of the Tremont House in Chicago, in the declaration, I have always hated slavery as much as any Abolitionist, and, in various forms, during the debates with Douglas Of the same year. In the following year we find him in his speech at Cincinnati (on September 17, addressing himself to the citizens tis__11ative State of Kentucky, courageously saying, (i think slavery is wait - 1g, morally and politically. I desire that it should be no further spread in these United States, and I should notobject if it should gradually terminate in the whole Un ion. A few months later, in his speech in Cooper Insti tute; he put the question of the constitutional rights Of slavery in the following logical form rif slavery is right, all words, acts, laws and constitutions against it are themselves wrong and should be swept away. If it is right, we cannot justly Object to its nationality - its univer sality; if it is wrong, they cannot justly insist upon its extension - its enlargement.' And he closed his argument with the following characteristic plea: Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. The same views were repeated at Hartford, New Haven, and else where, and went far to convince the pronounced anti slavery men Of New England that the position of the author Of these sentiments on the slavery question was'not only thoroughly consistent, but they made him the logical can didate for the Presidency of those who wished to check the spread of that institution into the new States and Terri tories.
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