Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point : Getting Right with the Declaration of Independence- The pivotal speech that changed the course of Lincoln's career and America's history - Complete examination of the speech, including the full text delivered in 1854 in Peoria, Illinois To understand President Abraham Lincoln, one must understand the extraordinary antislavery speech Lincoln delivered at Peoria on October 16, 1854. This three-hour address marked the turning point in Lincoln's political pilgrimage, dramatically altering his political career and, as a result, the history of America.Lincoln opposed any further extension of slavery in the American republic, holding to the Declaration of Independence's universal principle that "all men are created equal." In response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Lincoln launched his antislavery campaign, delivering speeches in Springfield and Peoria.The Peoria address was rigorous, logical, and grounded in historical research. It marked Lincoln's reentry into politics and his preparation for the presidency in 1861. The speech catapulted Lincoln into the national debates over slavery and into national politics for the rest of his life.Though historians and biographers have noted its importance, Lincoln's speech at Peoria has not received the attention it deserves. Lincoln at Peoria offers a complete examination of the speech that changed the course of our nation. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 76
Page 140
... Union - saving turn ? Will not the first drop of blood so shed , be the real knell of the Union ? " 429 Lincoln would not be intimidated by slaveholder menaces . Neither did he believe that southerners would secede from the Union ...
... Union - saving turn ? Will not the first drop of blood so shed , be the real knell of the Union ? " 429 Lincoln would not be intimidated by slaveholder menaces . Neither did he believe that southerners would secede from the Union ...
Page 226
... Union . I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution . The sooner the national authority can be restored ; the nearer the Union will be " the Union as it was . " If there be those who would not save the Union , unless they ...
... Union . I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution . The sooner the national authority can be restored ; the nearer the Union will be " the Union as it was . " If there be those who would not save the Union , unless they ...
Page 293
... Union as a slave state . There then was little or no settlement in the north- ern part of Texas , a considerable portion of which lay north of the Mis- souri line ; and in the resolutions admitting her into the Union , the Missouri ...
... Union as a slave state . There then was little or no settlement in the north- ern part of Texas , a considerable portion of which lay north of the Mis- souri line ; and in the resolutions admitting her into the Union , the Missouri ...
Contents
ON THE ROAD TO THE SPRINGFIELD SPEECH | 1 |
Preparation to Fight KansasNebraska | 12 |
Senator Douglas Returns to Illinois | 18 |
Copyright | |
18 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abolitionist Abraham Lincoln American history anti-Nebraska antislavery argued argument Bloomington campaign Chase Chicago Civil coln Compromise of 1850 Congressman Constitution convention court CWAL David Rice Atchison debate Declaration of Independence Democratic Party Douglas's Dred Scott election emancipation extension of slavery Fehrenbacher free-soil friends Gilder Lehrman Collection Herndon historian Historical Society House Ibid issue James Johannsen John Judge Douglas Kansas Kansas-Nebraska Act Know-Nothings legislation legislature Letter from Abraham liberty Lincoln's speech Lyman Trumbull Missouri Compromise moral Nebraska bill negro New-York Historical Society Nicolay and Hay North northern October 16 opponents Palmer Peoria speech Pierce political popular sovereignty President Lincoln presidential principle question recalled repeal reply Republican Party Richard Yates Senator Douglas Seward slave slaveholders slavery South southern speak Speech at Peoria Springfield Stephen Sumner Thomas tion Union University Press Volume vote Whig Party William H Wilmot Proviso wrote Yates York