“Go back to the beginning, Thomas Jefferson wrote what many believed to be the most important civil document in human history, but he was a slaveholder. We’ve never lived up to our American ideals, Jefferson himself didn’t. But what he wrote has pulled us towards justice for more than two centuries a…”— Joe Biden, rev.com
“Of all the things we’ve been up against as a country, only one of them actually came convincingly close to permanently ending the American project, and that was white supremacy during the course of the Civil War. And I am now convinced that, if we don’t tackle that in my lifetime, it could wreck the…”— Pete Buttigieg, newyorker.com
“The Civil War history industry has conveniently forgotten about the battle of Schrute Farms. Whatever. I'm over it. It's just grossly irresponsible.”— Mindy Kaling, Dwight Schrute, Rainn Wilson, imdb.com
“We are half-people. Ripped from the pages of some bizarre mythology, the two sides within us, human and crown engaged in a fearful civil war, which never ends. And which blights our every human transaction as brother, husband, sister, wife, mother.”— Peter Morgan, Duke of Windsor, Alex Jennings, imdb.com
“Receptionist: There is a Lt. Crunch here to see you. Gus: Crunch? [Shawn enters dressed in Civil War uniform] Shawn: Actually, I've been promoted. It's Captain Crunch.”— Kerry Lenhart, Shawn Spencer, James Roday, imdb.com
“It is now pretty well established, that there are at the present moment many colored men in the Confederate army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders, and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down loyal troops, and do all th…”— Frederick Douglass, americanheritage.com
“You know, there’s a conspiracy theory that, after the Civil War, the U.S. government spread false information about diabetes to keep the newly-freed slaves sluggish and docile, which is why, to this date, most African Americans don’t understand that diabetes is caused by sleeping on your back.”— Tami Sagher, Toofer, Keith Powell, imdb.com
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, u…”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikisource.org
“Freedom has given us the control of 200,000 able bodied men, born and raised on southern soil. It will give us more yet. Just so much it has subtracted from the strength of our enemies, and instead of alienating the south from us, there are evidences of a fraternal feeling growing up between our own…”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“Was it possible to lose the nation, and yet preserve the constitution? By general law life and limb must be protected; yet often a limb must be amputated to save a life; but a life is never wisely given to save a limb. I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful, by becomin…”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“My enemies say I am now carrying on this war for the sole purpose of abolition. It is and will be carried on so long as I am President for the sole purpose of restoring the Union. But no human power can subdue this rebellion without using the Emancipation lever as I have done.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“The Union must be preserved, and hence all indispensable means must be employed. We should not be in haste to determine that radical and extreme measures, which may reach the loyal as well as the disloyal, are indispensable.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikisource.org
“I know as fully as one can know the opinions of others, that some of the commanders of our armies in the field who have given us our most important successes, believe the emancipation policy, and the use of colored troops, constitute the heaviest blow yet dealt to the rebellion; and that, at least o…”— Abraham Lincoln, quod.lib.umich.edu
“You desire peace; and you blame me that we do not have it. But how can we attain it? There are but three conceivable ways. First, to suppress the rebellion by force of arms. This, I am trying to do. Are you for it? If you are, so far we are agreed. If you are not for it, a second way is, to give up…”— Abraham Lincoln, quod.lib.umich.edu
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“The Autocrat of all the Russias will resign his crown, and proclaim his subjects free republicans sooner than will our American masters voluntarily give up their slaves.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“Broken by it, I, too, may be; bow to it I never will. The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.”— Abraham Lincoln, en.wikiquote.org
“Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. B…”— Abraham Lincoln, rogerjnorton.com
“To state the question more directly, are all the laws, but one, to go unexecuted, and the government itself go to pieces, lest that one be violated? Even in such a case, would not the official oath be broken, if the government should be overthrown, when it was believed that disregarding the single l…”— Abraham Lincoln, rogerjnorton.com
“If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage.”— Abraham Lincoln, rogerjnorton.com