The Lincoln Douglas Debates – Updated
In the 1850s Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, American politicians, engaged in several debates in which the issues of slavery and self-government were paramount. Although Mr. Douglas defeated Lincoln in the sharply contested senatorial election in Illinois in 1854, Lincoln’s moral stand against slavery was clearly enunciated in several of the speeches that he presented during the campaign. Lincoln’s opposition to slavery eventually helped lead him to the Presidency of the United States in 1860.
Noted below are key points from Lincoln’s speech in Springfield, Illinois in October 1854; a speech that was repeated on several occasions during the election campaign.
“The doctrine of self-government is right, absolutely and eternally right; but it has no just application, as attempted here. Or perhaps I should rather say that it has just such application whether a Negro is not or is a man. If he is not a man, why in that case he who is a man may, as a matter of self-government, do just as he pleases with the Negro. But if the Negro is a man, is it not to that extent a total destruction of self-government to say that he too shall not govern himself? When a person governs himself, that is self-government: but when he governs himself and governs another, that is more than self-government that is despotism. If the Negro is a man, why then my ancient faith teaches me that “all men are created equal,’ and that there can be not moral right in connection with slavery.”
“Slavery is founded in the selfishness of man’s nature; opposition to it is his love of justice. These principles are an eternal antagonism, when brought into collision so fiercely as the slavery brings them, shocks and throes and convulsions must ceaselessly follow…..You cannot repeal human nature. It still will be the abundance of man’s heart that the slavery is wrong, out of the abundance of his heart his mouth will continue to speak.”
Taking the same thought process and words of Lincoln, I have changed some of the words in order to reflect the moral issues relevant in today’s society. (Those parts of the speech that are italicized are changes that I have made to the speech. Principally, the changes are the substitution of the word unborn for the word Negro and the words human being for the word man. Other changes are also included to make the change in wording understandable).
“The doctrine of self-government is right, absolutely and eternally right; but it has no just application, as attempted here. Or perhaps I should rather say that it has just such application whether an unborn is not or is a human being. If he is not a human being, why in that case he who is a human being may, as a matter of self-government, do just as he pleases with the unborn. But if the unborn is a human being, is it not to that extent a total destruction of self-government to say that he too shall not govern himself? When a person governs himself, that is self-government: but when he governs himself and governs another, taking away an innocent life, that is more than self-government, that is despotism. If the unborn is a human being, why then my ancient faith teaches me that “all men are created equal,’ and that there can be not moral right in connection with taking the life of the unborn human being.”
The taking of the life of an unborn human being is founded in the selfishness of man’s nature; opposition to it is his love of justice. These principles are an eternal antagonism, when brought into collision so fiercely as the killing of an unborn human brings them, shocks and throes and convulsions must ceaselessly follow…..You cannot repeal human nature. It still will be the abundance of man’s heart that the killing of the unborn human is wrong, out of the abundance of his heart his mouth will continue to speak.”
When he opposed slavery, Lincoln defended the rights of the oppressed and marginalized; he knew that his fellow citizens, in their hearts, also believed as he did. He defined his opposition to the evil of slavery in terms that resonated with his countrymen. I suspect that he would defend the right to life of any individual, born or unborn, today. Lincoln understood that freedom and self–government do not grant a person license over another person. Science has determined that life begins at conception. The life that resides in a mother’s womb is the same species as the mother – a human being.
Suggested Reading
“Defending Life” By Francis J. Beckwith, Cambridge University Press, 2007 Professor Beckwith details the philosophical and legal arguments against the taking of an innocent human life though abortion. Religion is not included in his defense of life.