Your assignment, in roughly 3-6 double-spaced numbered pages, Times New Roman 12-point or other standard font, one-inch margins, is to summarize and analyze the Cooper Union Address. In the course of your essay, please address the following:
How does Lincoln argue against the Dred Scott decision and its two main legal conclusions? Be specific. Quotations welcome. What documents from the Founding Era does Lincoln use? What does Lincoln say about whether the Constitution protects slaveholders’ property? What does he say about the power of Congress to prohibit slavery in the territories? For Lincoln, is it a proslavery or antislavery Constitution?
What is Lincoln’s position on judicial supremacy and the finality of the Supreme Court’s decision?
Who was Lincoln’s audience? In the course of the speech he addresses several different groups. What message does he have for each of them?
Sam Waterston tried to emulate what we know of Lincoln’s delivery and mannerisms. Please comment on that. How did the live audience react? [You can use the modern audience as a proxy.] Did Lincoln inject any humor into the speech?
What is the ultimate significance of the Cooper Union Address?
