The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: 6. Vocabulary: Analyze Word Choices

Analyzethe quotes from the Lincoln-Douglas

debates. Choose one phrase that would

have been especially appealing to voters at

the time and explain why.

Many of the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas revolved around the subject of slavery.

Abraham Lincoln was very diplomatic about the subject regardless of his personal beliefs.

For instance, he was quoted to severally taken a stand against anything that would result in a fracas between the free and slave states.

In taking this stand, he was saying America should be viewed as free land for all. What he didn't say by that statement is that slaves should be emancipated.

This position was acceptable to the feudal lords whose wealth rested on the shoulders of slaves and to the slaves, it was a welcome development if there was going to be a president that was at least concerned that they should have the freedom to exist and be treated as humans.

Corroborating the above position, Lincoln was also of the mindset that slaves were humans and that according to the position of the declaration of independence were entitled to the fundamental right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

In taking the above position, Lincoln also was not campaigning for slaves to be offered citizenship but that they should be treated as free. Again this position was appealing to the White Supremacists and the blacks. It was middle-ground enough at that time.

Cheers

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)