Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech By Senator Daniel Webster

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In his fiery speech to the Senate, given on March 7, 1850, shortly after the passing of the Compromise of 1850, Senator Daniel Webster expresses his views of secession to Abraham Lincoln, presenting the Compromise of 1850 as a Union-saving measure. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, but also enforced a stringent Fugitive Slave Act, which forced runaway slaves to be returned to their masters. Webster’s powerful speech outlines his feelings towards the South and secession, clearly showing that the speaker believed in a united, but also in a way divided, nation. Daniel Websterwas originally a lawyer and later served as a Massachusetts congressman and senator. As a congressman, he strongly opposed the War of 1812, the annexation of Texas, and going to war with Mexico. He denounced nullification when South Carolina adopted it. However, he believed that no law was needed to prevent the further …show more content…

Webster’s main contention is that the North is wrong and the South is right in asking that runaway slaves be returned to their former owners. However, Webster definitely ‘stands out from the crowd,’ and he successfully makes a point in his speech. The second paragraph in Document D basically states the problem: Southerners are annoyed that runaway slaves are not returned to their rightful owners. His argument, that slaves should be returned back to the South, reveals the thoughts most rich Northerners had during the time. This is because Northerners rarely owned slaves and would not have minded sending runaways