political crisis for the country. yo as the nation is just you have people shooting each other andho swords. in the u.s. senate, you have, within an inch of his life. it's a period in which peopleare political world. during the 1850s, there were clear warnings signs, if you will, about political trouble brewing, trouble brewing sufficiently enough that it could eventually disrupt union produced what was called at the time secession that could likely

lead to civil war. lincoln was a he was a very effective lawyer. he was a lawyer that did a lot of traveling in illinois. he did what's called writing circuit, which meant he went from courtroom to courtroom throughout the state of illinois. he is very well state. he was known to be a conscientious,■gt lawyer. he was one of those guys that you just find around. he was funny. he told incredible stories. he always had a way a m a situa. and so in additioto being and ad someone who had a way with wds in the most serious moments, he knew how to cut a serious moment with a joke.y he knew how make people feel

more comfortable all at as a lawyer dealing with these personal conflicts between individuals, he tries to often be a peacemaker to get people to resolve their differences outside of court, if they can, to settle without having to go through the expense and the burd of trial. and so i think that that idea of lincoln as aeacemaker really influences the way he approaches politics later in life. he was very active in the wakei. he would travel around on circuit as a lawyer, trycases, g often would give political speeches. his political hero was henry cl, is controversial. henry clay was a slave owner. what lhenry, of course, was his tendency toward compromise. his willingness to hear all sides of an argument. but that said, abraham lincoln

always disliked slavery. he served one n congress between 1847 and 1849. he stepped out ofics and does not return to politics with bothsurprising for us because, f course, in 1850, a huge political event occurred. in 1850, congress passed a huge compromise measure known as the compromise of 1850. and i think most americans believed that that would resolve a lot of the political fpdifferences that were arising between the north and the south. southerners had been threatening secession going all the way back to the founding of the nation. but those calls for southern secession■■ around 1849 and 185, ■qas the nation is coming out of the mexican war and trying to going to

do with all of this land? we've just acquired from mexico white southerners believe that if they are not allowed to take slavnt land has been purchased, they would say, by the common blood a treur of the whole nation. then they believe the only result that can come is secession and civil war.

the compromise of 1850 was the final settled mint that came out of the us-mexico war. it is a very complicated of legislation because it is actually several bills in one. therwereultimate compromise. three tended to favor southern nd three tended to favor northern states. the ones that are really important are that california came in as a free state. the union.

northerners also were able to fit in the end of the slave trade in washington, d.c. they were not able to get rid of slavery in d.c. proper, but they were able tohe slave trade. texas had been in a boundary dispute with new mexico that was solved in favor of were some son provisions and the important fos period was the fugitive comprome of 1850, and the fugitive sve act was the biggest expansion of federal power in the period this is a misconception about people in the south were only in favor of state rights. they were actually very much in favor of using the federal govern as mucs possible. and the fugitive slave act is the best example of this. under this new fugitive slave act, you have a number of provisions that stacked the deck against african americans who

are accused of being fugitives. if you were apprehended and somebody claimed you were a fugitive from slavery, you did not get to speak in your own behalf at that hearing. you had no benefit of legal counsel. the fugitive slave act was that it compares held northerners to participate in this process. so in the past, it was possible to sort of ignore what was going on if you wanted to. fugitive slave act in 1850, you are participate. the judge got paid $5. if he the evidence, the slave holder produced, it's ridiculous. t. that judge got paid $5. if hernment work. yeah, that's the guy. he got paid dfollowing the passs law, 332 african-americans are sent into bondage. only 11 are set free estimated s of 20,000 black people flee the

north and go to canada rather than risk the chance of being arrested and sent into the south. this is the single most affecting law that comes out of this period? it's also thea law that inspires harriet beecher stowe to write uncle tom's cin which probably is one of the three or four most important spark it really helps to get people in plight of black people in the south and to worry about it. sort of manifesto against slavery ith rh much more anger and concern certain really is unhappy with what's going on there. compromise isui in a way, compromiseh evil is built conste

there sense from the constitution of etheslavery should be allowed or should not be allowed, that members of the foundi generation determine what's the only way to put the cotr together. the creator situate in that i today that will because the founders said it c' wrong and as a result, african-americans ha bae most fundamental equality before the law and still. conflict over slavery continues and in 1854, thereóv is more interest in organizing new territory in that former area

known as the louisiana purchase stephen douglass, a democrat, wants to help get this territory organized. and so in 1854, he proposes something comes to be known as the kansas act. what he wants to do apply something called popular sovereignty to this new territory. popular sovereignty actually was something was part of the compromise territory that came in in new mexico and utah had been prescribed as using popular sovereignty to determine whether slaves would exist the borders. it was the idea that the people rule that people are sovereign. but in this case it was applied to mean thatterritory would be e whether borders. so this existed in the compromise of 1850, and douglass set out to apply it to kansas andmó nebraska.

the kansas nebraska act caused a hell of a storm. it repealed the missouri that was now open to the idea of popular sovereignty. the white people who moved there would vote either yes or no you have northerners and southerners flocking into to mae or free, and in thebludgeon onea time we know as bleeding kansas. lincoln saw the kansas nebraska act asoo violence violence to the constitution. violencethe principles of compromise that earlier generations settled in 1820. he saw it as an overthrow of a compromise had been intended to make the union and that had worked■-rs. lincoln a private letter to his closest friend joshua speed in 1855 and speaking about■q■á the,

he said, i upon that enactment not as a law, but as violence from the beginning. it w conceived in violence, passed in violence is maintained and is being executed in violence. now, stephen douglass argued that the kansas-nebraska act was rooted in popular sovereignty. this is democracy. this is how it works. but lincoln pointed out that what was really going people voo decide how to g■ is not governmy consent. lincoln said. when one group of people gets to vote and decide how they are going to govern, another. in 57, chiefustice roger brooke taney of maryland a 7 to. two things one, that dred scott and his family, he is an

enslaved black man from missouri,serve in a federal court, ought not to have seat at the lower

supreme court. they said, we don't agree. we're not to go along with this. they engaged all kinds of nullification t idea. certain states even passed laws and past pronouncements invalidate writing the dred scott decision. but lincoln knew the power of this decision because, of course, southerners were constantly claiming that this decision was the right decision. so responded by saying that the supreme court simply do power. lincoln repeats this about the supreme court many times, and he refers to dred scott in these terms of being, you know, one decision by this court and not the true pronouncement o sod operate. and he gives probablywbcapsulats first inaugural address. and he if the policy the government upon vital question is affecting the whole people is to be irrevocablylb fixed by the decisions of the supreme court,

the people have ceased to become their own rulers and and this is such an important point, because he is saying, yes, the supreme court made this however, we the people, we are the people who get to decide what our constitution means. in the had said that the state of life improved between 1787, when the constitu ation was written in 1857, when the dred scottechanded down andn responded by saying that that ed historical facts were not really true state of being for african-americans period in theafrican-americans vote in may states. the right to vote was restricted on account of how much property you had in most of the states. the original 13 colonies in

original states not based on the color of your skin. it was only in the 1820s and 1830s that that right to vote was stripped away from black men in the states and then was denied to black men in new states. contrary to tony's position, that black men were losingright. life was not getting better in the early days of the american republic. states could abolish slavery within their borders if they wanted to. but in the 1830s, in the aftermath of nat turner's rebellion, some states decided to prohibit owners from freeing their slaves. and so lincoln out that things are actually worse for african-americans. ,+ when. the constitution was written in 1787. and so he goes to springfield, then peoria, and delivers these addresses where he calls on americans to stick to the principles of the founding.

at one point in the speech, he says, our republican robe is soiled and trailed in the dust, and he calls on americans to re purify that republican, to wash it, clean to cling back to the principles oth idea that slavery was on the path to ion. this is my favorite lincoln document. it from proverbs a word fitfully spoken is like a gold in pictures of silver. and what's interesting to me about this is this is just a fragment of wrote. and we don't have the beginning. and i can tell you whatch is tht the apple of gold is the declaratio says so himself. but judging everything else he's ever said about, the declaration of independence,■l he's specifically talking about equal ity among human beings, that all

endowed by their creator with the right to be alive, the right to be free and the right■e to pursue happiness and slavery has no parties. ■;kone 1854. there's another one of these fragments. these little incomplete documents. he says, okay. want to juy slavery, huh? what do you think will make it all right for ]u to enslave a fellow human being all because their skin is darker than yours? well, my skin started using and enslaved me. because you think they're not as intelligent as. all right, well,s of people are smarter than others. does thatea enslave those peopl. and finally, he gets to is deeply important to lincoln throughout hi which this idea that might doesn' oh, because you'ree

powerful. that's why you goio son. well, you be careful because ■fsomeone more powerful may come along and enslave you. ÷■qafter serving in the state legislature for four straight terms in 1834 through 1842, lincoln eventually decided to get involved nationalhe found y good in to be elected to the u.s. senate. and in 1858, he seemed to have his best shot and he was up againsten douglass, the little giant of illinois. ul democrat in the senate in the 1850s, and lincoln is going to challenge him for that seat. now, lincoln was nots douglass. he needed douglass, in a sense,

to tractn fo campaign. lincoln's original follow douglass everywhere, and he said, hey, why don't we just make this a regular gig? rest of 1858 having debates andglass wasn't going to do that. he says, hey, lincoln, if you stop followi mill agree to a formal debate with you in the remaining ional districts, which are seventh and in the fall of 1858. these two men tour illinois way than douglass douglass, is riding around with a lot of po■p trains bands. the second debate is aeally important one. it was held in freeport, illinois. andhat the first debate in ottawa, illinois, douglass posed seven questions to lincoln to basically make lincoln look like an abolitionist. lincoln in freeport says to douglass, you're this really smart guy. you asked me seven questions that i've answered. i've only come up with four.

he a douglass, you keep saying we republicans are revolutionary for resisting the scott opinion. we don't resist it. but we disagree with it. you've been treating supreme court opinions as if they are thus sayeth the lord. but you also are a champion ofp. what's it going to be? douglass what's moremp opinion t the supreme law of the ld,e oved passed by a territory? douglass hisline here because hs popular sovereignty, it'll tube his chances with the south. but if he says no, dred scott is policy is into the trashcan. what doesou popular sovereignty basket. it's at that start a federal slave code for slavery in the territories. many people believe that lincoln those debates. but he was not made a senator

that was up to state legislature and they selected douglass in touring the state with douglass. lincoln begins make a real nationalamor himself. readers of newspapers, the midwand around the country are going to read excerpts or even wle accouof the debates, and they who stephen douglass is. now they're beginning to learn who abraham lincoln is as well. there are points in his development as a politwhere he . he have said something not quite as gutsy, but he takes an ethical stance. yes, he's a politician. he's a great politician, and he will■> pull punches. yet in the house, divided speech, he's actually coming right out and saying those people a tryinto spread slavery everywhere. it forces people to gn choice bn good and evil. there's a choice bwe between pug

slavery on a path to everywhere. that half measures really are not gog toork anymore. it's either going to become all slavery or all free. this can't go othis way. and although he doesn't come right out and explahaer everywh. he does say something that in in the ears of say more moderate. 19th century republicans would sounded controversial, which is will be put on a path to extinction that is radical taker politicians to comt anal stancee worried thathey'ower or they'reg to be elected. and this is great chance to reach the national stage aa illinois. he will have a lot of influence. so the fact that he was willing to come right out and take a moral stance is admirable.

■k presidency, lincoln's invited to a brief reptn in the capital of new jersey, the fairly more than half of their electoral votes to lincol speech and he closes the speech by sa't vote for me. most of you don't want me as. the representative man of the country. but you are by holding this reception, respecting fact that under the constitutionm going to be the next president of the united states. and he says, i value party in reception more than had it been held by my friends. what he was saying was, this is you act like a good loser. for a republic to be viable. for a republic to last. for a produce after election after election, good

winners and good losers. . eventually of 11 southern states were unwilling to do that. they proved in m mind, be bad losers. lincoln goes into his presidency in march of 1861,ely believing that he can still compromise with the south his fs on march 4th, 1861, hete southeo to war. he makes concessions them on the slavery issue. he says that he will not touch slavery. it already exists, and that he'll, in fact the fugite act of 1850, because as the executive branch of the at's what the constitution requires him to do. but it's clear in theey're prep.

lincoln assumes office on march 4th, 1861. longer think they're a part of america. new confederation. they call the confederates states of america. four states will join them after the firing of fort sumter. n calls out the militia april 15th. lincoln enters, the presidency and immediately is immersed into a civil war where the constitution does not yet have the tools to gh he's constantlyg with what shou i understand thi? we've never done this before. and really the who that. it's a test. we'jnvee going to do now? and what are the guardrails? how are we g make about of the biggest complaints i get from students ist, well, how come lincoln wasn't more of an abolitionist? he never called himself an

erm. he avoided it because abolitionists had the reputation somewhat earned. they were not as respectful of the united statescompromises wi. lincoln sd, whave we can't just pick the parts of the constitution that we like that we don't like and not obey that most famous abolitionist my mind was wil of, the liberator. no union, with slaveholders was one of the slogans on the message. this is a guy in 1854 who burned a copy of the constitu should in public. you don't do that. so the abolitionists, as much as know, slam dunk, of course, who's in favor of slavery at that time, they were known as being less obedient or respectful of the constitution. and that had com■omises. about him that were not wonderful should aspire to. he did not view of civil rights that we would want to

have and that many of his fellow men had. this is danger in finding heroes in our past, because no one lived a perfect life. no one has done everything the right way. there are people we can admire. and i deeply admire lincoln. but he certainly was not perfect. and we should grapple with him as a human being. it'sincoln wasn't perfect. it makes him human. that's one of the things we often forget is that we are talking about people when we're talking about history. too often we think of abraham as this larger than life statue in washington, d.c. this, icon untouchable. and we forget that he was a n through this tumultuous period and who made incredibl arguments that helped shape the path of our nationone of the great lessons t does it mean to be a self-governing to think alike ae

we■í differ on policy? but what are some building of democracy andepublicanism and self-government that we need to all share in order to get along? and thes, was not simply a war of freedom versus rival understandings and interpretations of the particular, whites, southern slaveholders believed that the constitution owed them. that justice meant they could take slaves into free territory and they could look at theopini. they could look at the fugitive avnortherners believed that, ye, there were some responsilitslav. but that as a nation, we neededp to remain committed to eventually eradicating slavery from the c truly a republic and not a slaveholding republic. i e american history, united states history, as one long civil rights movement.

there wasn't a time in our past where there wasn't a gap between what we profess to believe and what we actuallye is some progrd freedom. that is sometimes then beaten down by those who oppose. there had been some black men were able to vote during the revolutionary period and many of their rightsre jersey were able to vote at the time of the revolution. there were laws passed to make sure that would t we don't realy in the united until a so the prn yi get those rights was hard fought to understand those struggles and how hard fought we. what we have today and also an undersg is to have democracy that it is al a it. as lincoln says, whether we ever attain perfection is a question

for another day, but a commitment to the constitution and to the declaration of independence is a commitment to working toward freedom and equality.