On the recordMarch 17, 1865
I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire it for others.
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Addressing an Indiana regiment, Lincoln articulates his fundamental belief in universal freedom and his ironic view on who truly deserves slavery.
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Mar 3, 1865
Let us strive to deserve, as far as mortals may, the continued favor of Almighty God.
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Ordered, first. That at the hour of noon on the 14th day of April, 1865, Brevet Major-General Anderson will raise and plant upon the ruins of Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, the same United States flag which floated over the battlements…
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With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds.
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