Step 1 A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.

—Abraham Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois, June 16, 1858

Step 2
Analyze the excerpt from Lincoln’s speech by answering the following questions in one paragraph:

What is Lincoln’s point of view regarding the future of the country?
Which statement from the excerpt shows his point of view?
Explain how the selected quote shows Lincoln’s point of view.
What is a historical idea or event that supports Lincoln’s point of view?