“I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.”
- February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865
- American
- Politician, lawyer
- As the 16th President of the United States, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and led the Civil War to maintain the unity of the nation.
Quote
“I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.”
Explanation
This quote reflects Abraham Lincoln’s political awakening during the period of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The Missouri Compromise had established a line across the U.S. (36°30′) to divide free and slave territories, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed territories north of this line to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This repeal reignited Lincoln’s political career, as it deepened his opposition to the spread of slavery into the new territories. Lincoln’s speech in Peoria in 1854 and his subsequent involvement in the Illinois Senate race marked his re-emergence as a key figure in the anti-slavery movement. His stance against the expansion of slavery would define his political trajectory, leading to his election as president in 1860.
This shift in his focus also highlighted the growing sectional tensions between the North and South, which would eventually lead to the Civil War. The Missouri Compromise’s repeal played a pivotal role in shaping Lincoln’s views on the Union’s preservation and the moral and political challenge of slavery. Today, the quote underscores the significance of how national events can spur individual political movements that alter the course of history, especially when they touch on deeply divisive issues like slavery and freedom.
