Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincolnwas the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War—its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the economy...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionUS President
Date of Birth12 February 1809
CountryUnited States of America
country class evil
Now I confess myself as belonging to that class in the country who contemplate slavery as a moral, social and political evil...
class slavery traders
The slave-breeders and slave-traders, are a small, odious and detested class, among you; and yet in politics, they dictate the course of all of you, and are as completely your masters, as you are the master of your own negroes.
country class evil
Now, I confess myself as belonging to that class in the country who contemplate slavery as a moral, social and political evil, having due regard for its actual existence amongst us and the difficulties of getting rid of it in any satisfactory way, and to all the constitutional obligations which have been thrown about it; but, nevertheless, desire a policy that looks to the prevention of it as a wrong, and looks hopefully to the time when as a wrong it may come to an end.
men years class
We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There is no permanent class of hired laborers amongst us. Twenty-five years ago, I was a hired laborer. The hired laborer of yesterday, labors on his own account today; and will hire others to labor for him tomorrow.
men hands class
I hold that if the Almighty had ever made a set of men that should do all the eating and none of the work, he would have made them with mouths only and no hands, and if he had ever made another class that he intended should do all the work and none of the eating, he would have made them without mouths and with all hands.
act destroyer drives freedom sheep shepherd thanks wolf
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty.
reality shadow tree
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
becomes church dangerous government interest public run states undertake united
The United States government must not undertake to run the Churches. When an individual, in the Church or out of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked.
adopt appear correct errors fast shall shown true views
I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views
nor note remember
The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.
basis numerous plain reason
The workingmen are the basis of all governments, for the plain reason that they are the more numerous
decisions deeper goes impossible possible public sentiment
Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. He who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute.
fruit good positive property
Property is the fruit of labor; property is desirable; it is a positive good in the world.
appetite attempts beyond blow bounds cause control crime goes government great injury law principles reason species strikes within work
Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.