What are the motifs in This Fiery Trial: The Speeches and Writings of Abraham Lincoln by Abraham Lincoln?

Lincoln's theory of race and Vvews on slavery is a recurring idea in this book. Lincoln had a progressive view of race relations and slavery for his time. Very early in his political career, he opposed the expansion of slavery, and by the time of the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, he framed slavery as a moral evil that must be expunged from the nation entirely. He linked blacks back to the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence, and stated that the framers actually did intend for blacks to be entitled to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and other basic rights.