Simile in House Divided Speech

Lincoln employs a simile comparing Pierce, Buchanan, and Douglas’s actions in advance of the Dred Scott decision to those of a rider trying to sooth a “spirited horse.” The implication is that the Democratic administration knew that the nation would be upset by the decision, so they preemptively attempted to sooth that discontent by offering their endorsements. The simile confronts the audience with the idea that they have been manipulated by the Democrats. However, Lincoln also subtly indicates that the nation, much like the horse, has the ability to “give the rider[s] a fall” by voting Republican.

A foundry mold is a tool used in metal casting to create shapes that are too difficult to sculpt by hand. The mold, typically made of tightly packed sand, is carved in a specific shape and molten metal is then poured into the mold. When the metal solidifies, the cheap mold is disintegrated in order to free the finished metal part. Using a simile, Lincoln compares the original Nebraska doctrine and the principle of popular sovereignty to a foundry mold. The implication is that the Kansas-Nebraska Act was only a temporary measure designed to create a “mold,” or niche, for the Dred Scott decision. Once the Dred Scott decision declared Congressional restrictions on slavery unconstitutional, the mold was no longer needed and Douglas’s Nebraska doctrine “fell back into loose sand.”

Lincoln uses alliteration and simile to showcase the failure of Douglas’s popular sovereignty doctrine and to highlight its role in expanding slavery. The alliterative phrase “squatter sovereignty squatted out of existence” is both memorable and humorous, adding a mocking tone to Lincoln’s words. Combined with the simile comparing “squatter sovereignty” to “temporary scaffolding,” it also conveys a sense of impermanence and instability. Though popular sovereignty sounded good in theory and became a major campaign issue, it was a resounding failure in application, promptly “kicked to the winds.”