“In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in that we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”
- February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865
- American
- Politician, lawyer
- As the 16th President of the United States, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation and led the Civil War to maintain the unity of the nation.
Quote
“In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in that we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”
Explanation
In this powerful statement, Abraham Lincoln underscores the interconnectedness of freedom for all people. He argues that by abolishing slavery, the nation not only secures liberty for the enslaved but also preserves the principles of freedom for the free citizens of the country. Lincoln believed that the institution of slavery threatened the very foundation of American democracy. In granting freedom to enslaved people, the United States would affirm the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice that it professed, maintaining its identity as a beacon of hope for the world.
This quote is also a moral call to action, emphasizing that the United States faced a crucial crossroads. Lincoln famously referred to the nation as the “last best hope of earth,” meaning that the success of American democracy was crucial not just for the United States, but for the future of freedom globally. His statement implies that if the nation failed to address the issue of slavery, it would lose its moral legitimacy and could not survive as a free republic. The civil war that ensued was, in Lincoln’s view, the defining test of whether America could live up to its foundational ideals or fall into tyranny.
In contemporary terms, Lincoln’s words continue to resonate as a reminder of the moral imperative to uphold the principles of equality and freedom. In modern contexts, this quote can be applied to movements for justice, equality, and human rights, where the fight to liberate one group from oppression is, in fact, a struggle that benefits all people. The notion that a society’s freedom and dignity are bound together—when one group is denied liberty, all are at risk—remains as relevant today as it was during the era of slavery. This perspective challenges us to ensure that in our pursuit of justice for some, we are securing it for all.
