On the recordFebruary 22, 1861
But if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.
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gutenberg.orgAbraham Lincoln: “But if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated…”
Editor's note · Context
Speaking in Independence Hall on his way to his inauguration, Lincoln declares his unwavering commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, even at the cost of his life.
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If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business.
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He said, with a great deal of emphasis, and with an expression of countenance I shall never forget: "When a man is sincerely penitent for his misdeeds, and gives satisfactory evidence of the same, he can safely be pardoned, and there is no…
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