The existential crisis in America had almost everything to do with slavery. Controversial decisions were made that shook the public along with government officials. The Missouri Compromise took a massive blow from the Kansas-Nebraska act and left anti-slavery politicians in an outrage. Even some Democrats found themselves opposing it on the basis that it destroyed popular sovereignty. Next, the Dred Scott court decision set an outstanding precedence for slaveholders. Lincoln felt that it would surely it would allow for expansion of slavery to run rampant through the country and into new territories. Still, the country was divided by anti-slavery advocates and slaveholders and the divide grew larger with each debate. In Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech, he emphasized that this division could not last for long. For the sake of the country and its union, Americans needed to pick a side.
The division put the foundation of the country in question. For Lincoln, this was an absolutely abhorrent idea. He believed that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence should be held to the highest of standards yet, some individuals were undermining its true message when they argued for the expansion of slavery. Regardless of whose side the country decided to officially take, to Lincoln,
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While the Know Nothings, Abolitionists, and Danites still existed, their candidates (if any) really had no match compared to the popularity of some of the Democratic and Republican representatives. As a Republican, Lincoln was often forced to ignore some other similar views he had with Democrats like Stephen Douglas. For the sake of politics, Lincoln could not find common ground and work with others to better the country. He had to be aggressive and focus on opposing viewpoints to get his campaign off the