House Divided Speech

Content Warning: The source material and this guide reference the enslavement of Black Americans and the associated racism and prejudice.

“A House Divided” is a speech orated by Abraham Lincoln and crafted using creative figuration, compelling evidence, and persuasive argumentation to meet its objectives. Lincoln’s objectives are to convince the audience, the members of the Republican National Convention, and eventually a broader state and national audience, that pro-slavery politicians have conspired to expand slavery into new territories and perhaps even new states. Lincoln states that there must be a strong political response from Republicans and other anti-slavery elements to counteract this conspiracy. Although it lacks the brevity of the Gettysburg Address or Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, “A House Divided” is nonetheless concise in presenting evidence to support its central claims.

The speech reads much like a traditional Puritan sermon, beginning with a quotation from scripture (epigraph) and elaborating upon it by enumerating arguments (doctrine), evincing these arguments (reasons), demonstrating how the sermon applies to the congregation, and finally making an emotional appeal and call to action (epilogue). This quality of the speech speaks to Lincoln’s resourcefulness as a rhetorician and his awareness of the deeply religious motivations of many of his colleagues.