<P> The House Divided Speech was an address given by Abraham Lincoln, later President of the United States, on June 16, 1858 at what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, after he had accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's US senator . The speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign for the seat, held by Stephen A. Douglas; the campaign would climax with the Lincoln - Douglas debates of 1858 . </P> <P> Lincoln's remarks in Springfield created an image of the danger of slavery - based disunion, and it rallied Republicans across the North . Along with the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, the speech became one of the best - known speeches of his career . The best - known passage of the speech is this: </P>

Who said a house divided against itself can not stand