Abraham Lincoln Quotes
Though passion may have strained [the Union], it must not break our bonds of affection.
Abraham Lincoln, 1809-1865, 16th President of the United States (Republican, IL), First Inaugural Address, Washington DC, March 4, 1861
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The “mystic chords of memory” which is one of the most famous Lincoln phrases. As great as this address was, it did not succeed in its purpose of maintaining the Union and preventing secession.
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.