The Dred Scott decision caused a ripple throughout the country. Read a summary of Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney's proslavery decision, and see how it intensified the rancor between the North and the South.

Read the terms of the Dred Scott decision which determined that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. See why this decision was so controversial and completely unacceptable to the northerners, thus driving an additional wedge...

The Dred Scott case was a test case on whether African-Americans, whether free or slave, had any rights. Find out what led up to this controverisal decision, and read the reasoning of the majority opinion as expressed by Chief Justice...

Overview of events and politics surrounding the bitter conflict about slavery in the U.S., including the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott Decision.

A brief overview of what was in store for the United States after the controversial Dred Scott decision.

Read the full text of the "House Divided" speech that Lincoln delivered on June 16, 1858, as he accepted the Republican nomination for the U.S.Senate seat from Illinois that was held by Stephen A. Douglas. This speech exemplifies...

The Licoln-Douglas debates pitted two great speakers who were espousing different courses for the country in regard to the issue of slavery. Read a snopsis of their seven debates and see what four major issues they debated. [pdf]

Historic debates, both in substance and form, were held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in the Illinois Senate race in 1858. Read about the debates, where tht two men stood on the issue of slavery, and its place in the...

This site provides an extensive timeline of the life and work of Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the timeline there are photos that can be enlarged and many, many links to speeches, papers, letters of Lincoln's. The site is very easy to...

The Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858 exemplified the rift in the nation concerning the issue of slavery and who should be able to determine whether states were free or slave. Read about this war of ideas that moved from the stage in...

In order to convince oneself that owning another was defensible, Southerners aruged that there were economic, religious, historical, and legal reaons that slavery was a good thing. Read about some of these justifications in more detail,...

A brief look at James Buchanan as president and the controversies he faced. From the Miller Center.