On the recordApril 4, 1864
I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful by becoming indispensable to the preservation of the Constitution through the preservation of the nation.
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gutenberg.orgAbraham Lincoln: “I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful by becoming indispensable to the preservation of…”
Editor's note · Context
In a letter to A.G. Hodges, Lincoln articulates his belief that extraordinary wartime measures, even if seemingly unconstitutional, can be justified by the imperative to save the nation.
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