On the record
But, were the breath which now gives utterance to my feelings the last vital air I should draw, my expiring words to you and your children should be, Independence and Union forever!
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gutenberg.orgWilliam Seward: “But, were the breath which now gives utterance to my feelings the last vital air I should draw, my expiring words to you…”
Editor's note · Context
Seward emphasizes the importance of independence and unity as his final message to future generations.
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For the rest, the work of emancipation abides the action, whether it be slow or fast, of the moral sense of the American people.
From and after the fourth day of July, 1842, there shall be, throughout the United States, NO HEREDITARY SLAVERY, but on and after that day every child born within the United States shall be FREE.
By the blessing of the Author of those rights, they have prevailed over all opposition, and form the basis of thirteen independent States.
The recital of heroic actions loses its chief value, if we cannot discover the principles in which they were born.
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