On June 16, 1858, 162 years ago next week, President Lincoln gave his famous “A House Divided” speech after his Republican nomination for the Senate.
We are now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Lincoln was of course correct in his prediction of a coming crisis, and 162 years later, we may be in the same situation.
It would be reckless to claim that the divides then were much more severe than they are now. Yes, slavery was a contentious issue that dominated many aspects of American thought and politics. But today, we face a myriad of issues that have been ingrained into the American psyche, and a gulf between the left and right that is impossible to imagine bridging.
Take the protests and rioting that have gripped the nation for two weeks. We witnessed a small but very influential group of people who were sympathizing, condoning, and even in some cases encouraging the complete mayhem and chaos on our streets. How can we compromise or have a debate with such thinking? When it comes to criminals vandalizing property, looting, committing arson, and assaulting and murdering innocent civilians, there is nothing to compromise or debate over.
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See Also:
(1) Has America ever had a more crazed mayor than Seattle’s Jenny Durkan?
(2) Where Black Lives Don’t Matter
(5) Seattle’s Top Cop Says Don’t Look at Me, Abandoning Police Station Wasn’t My Idea
