Crisis of the House Divided : an Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

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pt. I. Introductory. 1958: The crisis in historical judgment ; 1858: Lincoln versus Douglas ; The alternatives

pt. II. The case for Douglas. Slavery ; Manifest destiny ; The repeal of the Missouri Compromise I. The legal power and practical impotence of federal prohibitions of slavery in the territories ; The repeal of the Missouri Compromise II. Did the Comprise of 1850 "supersede" the Missouri Compromise ; The repeal of the Missouri Compromise III. What Douglas intended on January 4, 1854 ; The repeal of the Missouri Compromise IV. Tragedy. The extreme crush the mean

pt. III. The political philosophy of a young Whig. The teaching concerning political salvation ; The teaching concerning political moderation

pt. IV. The case for Lincoln. The legal tendency toward slavery expansion ; The political tendency toward slavery expansion ; The intrinsic evil of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise ; The universal meaning of the Declaration of Independence ; The form and substance of political freedom in the modern world ; Popular sovereignty: true and false ; The meaning of equality: abstract and practical ; The "natural limits" of slavery expansion ; Did the Republicans abandon Lincoln's principles after the election of 1860? ; The end of Manifest Destiny

Appendix I. Some of the historical background to the Lincoln-Douglas debates

Appendix II. Some notes on the Dred Scott decision