Lincoln
... Lincoln’s one-hour speech deals with the slavery question in the United States in the 1850’s. ... Lincoln is to explain, using argument from cause, the reason why he is speaking: Judge Douglas proposed to him seven distinct interrogatories so he speaks to give the Judge an answer. Saying this, Lincoln smartly makes his speech legitimate. ... After answering the seven interrogatories, Lincoln concludes that he has “answered truly that [he is] not pledged at all upon any of the points to which [he has] answered”. ... In fact Lincoln wanted to make sure the audience would not think he is racist or that he would be able to vote some laws allowing slavery. ... Once he has answered the Judge, Lincoln returns the situation by asking him four questions. ... In this way, Lincoln uses deductive argument: he proceeds from a general conclusion (this is the Judge who is not fair in the slavery debate) to a series of individual cases (the four questions which must show that he is not fair). Lincoln turns the tables. ... Lincoln also uses argument from sign to prove that, even if he is a Republican, he is not directly linked to the 1854 Republican State Convention on which the Judge Douglas bases all his questions. ... Lincoln wants slavery to be abolished in some States under certain conditions. ... In the same idea, Lincoln does not hesitate to support his speech with historical reference.