Matthew 12:25 and Abraham Lincoln

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand". Matthew 12:25

Abraham Lincoln gave a stirring speech on June 16th, 1858 in Springfield, Illinois. He had accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as a candidate for the U.S. Senate and uttered this famous phrase: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." As you can see above, he took this from a well-known Bible verse. He knew that the people would understand the reference and that slavery could not exist with freedom.

The institution of slavery had to end and was a huge flaw in the American republic. How could we fully obtain freedom if we still held onto slaves? Either America would become a free nation or slavery would take hold in every state.

Though he was unsuccessful in getting that position, his speech stood out and put him on the national stage. People were paying attention now.

"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.

Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new - North as well as South."

He helped put into perspective and predicted the debate over slavery between the two sides. The fight "will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed."

People need to remember how important Lincoln was in the freedom of slavery. Though some may see that he wasn't as aggressive as he should be: the country was always on the verge of a huge war over this. He wanted to build the country together, not flat-out break them apart. So to do that he had to start slowly, change people's minds and hearts while waiting for the perfect time to push for full freedom for all.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the 3/5ths compromise was to help deter the possibility of those supporting slavery from winning? This meant that each slave only represented 3/5ths of a free person and could not vote as an equal. This was to prevent the south from using their slaves to vote to keep the slaves. He wasn't putting them down as less than human to slave owners but so that they couldn't be used as a pawn to push their slavery agenda.

What other fascinating historical information do you know? What are some facts that are not as well known but are easily found in our history books?