Lincoln's Peoria Speech Assignment

On October 16, 1854, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at Peoria, Illinois that has since been recognized by historians and other scholars as signaling his comeback in politics. After reading the speech, answer the following questions in a narrative format in a 3-4 page (1000+ words) page paper:

Why is Lincoln’s speech in Peoria considered important? What is his main argument? What evidence does Lincoln call upon to bolster this argument? Did Lincoln’s audience find this evidence persuasive? Why, or why not? Do you find this argument persuasive? Why, or why not. In answering this final part, carefully consider Lincoln’s use of history, especially in regard to the intentions of the founders; how does Lincoln’s view on the history of slavery in the United States coincide with your own knowledge?

This paper will be due two weeks from today, October 21, 2009, at the beginning of class.