Answer:
Douglas declared his support for the Lecompton Constitution, in defiance of President James Buchanan. This dramatic break with the Democratic leadership occurred in early December 1857 and caused a number of influential Republicans to suggest that Douglas should not be opposed for re-election. In this speech, which John G. Nicolay and John Hay included in their Complete Works in a longer version now lost (see Collected Works, II, 448-54), Lincoln gave his reasons for not endorsing Douglas. According to Nicolay and Hay's source, the portion of the speech immediately following this fragment was an early version of Lincoln's “House Divided” speech, which he delivered several months later on June 6, 1858 in accepting the Republican nomination for U. S. Senator.
Explanation:
