Today marks the 151st anniversary of one of Abraham Lincoln's most famous speeches. His "House Divided" speech was given on this date in 1858 upon his nomination as the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
His speech in which he proclaimed that a "house divided against itself cannot stand" over the issue of slavery electrified his audience and thrust him onto the national stage. Although Lincoln eventually lost the election to the Senate to Stephen A. Douglas, the scene was set for his election to the presidency in 1860. The image above is of an original newspaper report of the speech.
For a more thorough recounting of the "House Divided" speech, please click here to read my posting about it from this past January.
1 comment:
It was a different time when a politician could get onto the national stage by a speech alone. Now, a politician would have to get his own reality show to get that kind of attention.
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