Abraham Lincoln Quotes


One war at a time.


Context

Charles Wilkes, a Union Navy Captain enforcing the naval blockade of the South, intercepted a British mail ship in the Caribbean and discovered two Confederate diplomats on board. He took them into custody to the cheers of Congress. England, however, was outraged that passengers—diplomats—on one of their ships was seized after boarding. This was technically an act of war. Abraham Lincoln, to the distress of many in Congress ordered the Confederate diplomats released explaining with this quotation.


Citations

Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, 16th President of the United States (Republican, IL), 1861

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
  • Born: February 12, 1809
  • Died: April 15, 1865
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: President

Abraham Lincoln was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States 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.