"...but he and Judge Douglas argue that the authors of that instrument did not intend to include negroes, by the fact that they did not at once, actually place them on an equality with the whites. Now this grave argument comes to just nothing at all, by the other fact, that they did not at once, or ever afterwards, actually place all white people on an equality with one or another. And this is the staple argument of both the Chief Justice and the Senator, for doing this obvious violence to the plain unmistakable language of the Declaration. I think the authors of that notable instrument  intended to include all men."

What Abraham Lincoln is saying, is that Chief Justice Taney and Judge Douglas are arguing that the authors of the Declaration of Independence had never intended to consider all men created equal. They only intended to express that idea in regards to white people. They are basing that argument on the claim that the authors of that Declaration themselves, obviously did not feel that way in their own time when they were writing the document. Lincoln is saying however that even if you could make that argument it is still a bad argument because it is apparent in everyday life at that time that not all white men truly have equality among each other. He goes on to point out that the language of the Declaration is purposely plain and vague in order to include as much as possible. They say "all men" and do not specify any race because they must mean all men. He also calls what they are doing to these words is violence. What he means is that twisting words in this very important document in order to make a point for the sake of a certain agenda in nothing short of maliciously disgracing the ideas that make this country great. Those words were written to explain why one group people has no right to tyrannically rule over another group of people, and to justify why they have the right to govern themselves as their own nation. Using those same words to explain how blacks and white are in fact not equal, Lincoln saw as an act of violence to the Declaration.

I chose this quote because something in the lecture that stood out to me was the fact that all elected officials in higher levels of office came from middle and upper classes. This meant that many needs of the lower classes were not being met because politicians were first taking care of those in the same circle as them and were out of touch with what life in America was truly like for the masses. This relates to what Lincoln said about how even different groups of white people in this country don't truly have equality. There was a class system even among people of the same race which arguably still exists today.