I confess myself as belonging to that class in the country who contemplate slavery as a moral, social and political evil

I think that if anything can be proved by natural theology, it is that slavery is morally wrong.

God gave man a mouth to receive bread, hands to feed it, and his hand has a right to carry bread to his mouth without controversy.

Whether we will or not, the question of Slavery is THE question, the all absorbing topic of the day.

We must have though a man who recognizes the slavery issue as being the living issue of the day; who does not hesitate to declare slavery a wrong, nor to deal with it as such; who believes in the power and duty of Congress to prevent the spread of it.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.