Abraham Lincoln In Eric Foner's Fiery Trial

Leading up to the United States ' Civil War in 1861, many events involving Abraham Lincoln occurred triggering the divided nature the states were bound to endure. Some of these events discussed in Eric Foner’s Fiery Trial include the Dred Scott Decision in March of 1857, Lincoln 's House Divided Speech, the series of seven debates between Stephen A. Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 presidential election, all of which culminated in the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. One of the main issues that gave rise to all of these events and ultimately led to the Civil War is found in the antagonistic systems of free and slave labor. Lincoln seems to go through a wave of different thoughts regarding slavery that started out with relatively private ideas about slavery and transitioned into an anti-slavery mindset. It was ultimately Abraham Lincoln 's contradictory opinions and strategies about slavery that not only symbolized the same separation in the free and slave states, but also caused the Civil War.
The Dred Scott decision came down from the Supreme Court, and it created a huge upheaval …show more content…
In Lincoln’s House Divided Speech, he enunciated that the country must either embrace slavery fully and throughout or must abolish it completely. The main reason this House Divided speech was so important in bringing about the start of the Civil War is because it led to the debates between Lincoln and Douglass—where Lincoln shared his complex opinions. These debates were not only an important trigger event to the Civil War, but the also shaped the way politicians displayed their views to the American citizens for years to come. The main argument that began the debates between Lincoln and Douglas were their opposing opinions on whether the Declaration of Independence included both African Americans and