[Sherman Logan]

"The United States today uses the highest principles that we're all familiar with — democracy, justice, rights and responsibility — but that's not what the country was in 1857," Payton said.

It would be more accurate to say that the country in 1857 was severely divided over these principles, with some wanting to ditch them and others trying to keep them.

The Dred Scott decision and the Kansas/Nebraska acts were the primary issues leading to the birth of the GOP.

[Non-Sequitur]

bump