Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Lincoln Chicago Speech (Zarefsky, 1990)

At its conclusion, Lincoln rose to say that he would return to speak the following night. His speech, though forthright, was defensive. He denied any Republican alliance with Buchaneers, denied that Republicans opposed popular sovereignty as properly understood, and explained his view in the “House Divided” speech. He then forecast several arguments that he would use later, in the debates – the allegation that slavery did not seem to Douglas to be a moral issue, the observation that Douglas was inconsistent with respect to the finality of Supreme Court decisions since he had supported Andrew Jackson’s actions during the Bank War, the denial that he favored racial equality, and the proclamation that Douglas’s views were akin to the divine right of kings.