Excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s “A House Divided” speech, June 17, 1858
In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed. "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. Have we no tendency to the latter condition? . . . The new year of 1854 found slavery excluded from more than half the States by State Constitutions, and from most of the national territory by congressional prohibition. Four days later, commenced the struggle, which ended in repealing that congressional prohibition. This opened all the national territory to slavery, and was the first point gained.
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
How did this statement, made in 1858, contribute to southern secession in 1860 and 1861?
A.
Southern leaders believed Lincoln wanted to end slavery.
B.
Southern leaders believed Lincoln intended to split the nation.
C.
Southern leaders believed Lincoln planned to replace the Constitution.
D.
Southern leaders believed Lincoln’s divisiveness undermined fair elections.
PLEASE, ALSO EXPLAIN WHY ITS THE CORRECT ANSWER, DO NOT GUESS, USE THE EXPERT.
B. Southern leaders believed Lincoln intended to split the nation.
Explanation: In his speech, Lincoln stated that the nation could not remain divided between slave and free states, and that it would become "all one thing or all the other". This statement was interpreted by southern leaders as a sign that Lincoln intended to split the nation, which was a major factor in their decision to secede in 1860 and 1861.