Before coming to class on Friday, please read the following two speeches by Abraham Lincoln. Make a note of anything that surprises or confuses you, but also attempt to give an answer to this general question: Was Lincoln an abolitionist? Be prepared to back up your answer with specific evidence if asked.
- Speech at Peoria, Illinois (October 16, 1854)
- Speech at Cooper Institute in New York City (February 27, 1860)
Note that both of these speeches were delivered before Lincoln was elected president and before he was even considered as a possible candidate for that office. When he delivered the first of these speeches, the Republican Party had just been founded a few months before, and when he delivered the second speech, the Republican Party had yet to win a presidential election but was beginning to win state and Congressional races in the Northern states where slavery had been abolished.