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Critique of: ""Value Consensus" in Democracy: The Issue in

             In the article ""Value Consensus" in Democracy", Harry V. Jaffa presents historical data in his critique of the debates between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in the late 1850's. Jaffa discusses how these debates provided a dialectical preview of the Civil War and how these debates established the policy of Lincoln in his 1860 presidential campaign. Also, Jaffa portrays the positions of both Douglas and Lincoln concerning the issue of slavery and state rights. Most importantly this article attempts to make distinctions and connections between how the candidates viewed slavery in relationship to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
             From the beginning the reader can see that Jaffa is heavily biased in the direction of Lincoln's ideals and policies but he does not seem to let this bias prevent him from discussing, at great length, the position of Douglas. Jaffa does, however, display a strong argument on how the Civil War, especially Lincoln's actions and views, were not a break down in the democratic process. The strongest case made by Jaffa is his argument against Douglas's stance on the Supreme Court decision to repeal the Missouri Compromise in the Dred Scott decision. Jaffa points out that though Dred Scott gave power to the states Douglas failed to comprehend the magnitude of the National Government not recognizing slaves and human beings. Jaffa's discussion on Lincoln's ability to use the Declaration of Independence, especially the equality of human rights, to justify the wrongs of slavery is the focus of the latter portion of the article. Here Jaffa is able to use historical evidence to prove Lincoln's arguments over those of Douglas; Jaffa especially does an admirable job in showing the contradictions in Douglas's argument concerning slave rights.
             Harry Jaffa presents an adequate argument regarding his positions on who was morally right in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.


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