“Our Declaration of Independence was held sacred by all and thought to include all; but now, to aid in making the bondage of the Negro universal and eternal, it is assailed, sneered at, construed, hawked at, and torn, till, if its framers could rise from their graves, they could not at all recognize it.”
- 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
“Our Declaration of Independence was held sacred by all and thought to include all; but now, to aid in making the bondage of the Negro universal and eternal, it is assailed, sneered at, construed, hawked at, and torn, till, if its framers could rise from their graves, they could not at all recognize it.”
Explanation
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln expresses his dismay at the growing contradiction between the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the reality of slavery in the United States. Lincoln highlights how the Declaration, which was once revered as a universal declaration of liberty and equality, was being twisted and manipulated by those who sought to perpetuate the institution of slavery. By invoking the framers of the Declaration, Lincoln suggests that they would be horrified to see how their words were being used to justify the enslavement of Black people. The degradation of the Declaration becomes symbolic of the moral decay in American society as slavery was allowed to expand, undermining the nation’s founding ideals.
Historically, this quote speaks to the division in the United States during the pre-Civil War era. Southern slaveholders and their allies had increasingly interpreted the Declaration in a way that excluded Black people from its promises of equality and freedom. This sharp contrast between the founding ideals and the reality of slavery became a central issue in Lincoln’s debates with his political rivals, particularly in his Lincoln-Douglas debates. For Lincoln, the fight to preserve the Union was also a fight to restore the integrity of the nation’s founding principles, making the abolition of slavery a moral and constitutional imperative.
In contemporary terms, this quote underscores the importance of upholding the core values of equality and justice in the face of societal injustices. It reminds us that constitutional principles must be interpreted and applied in ways that reflect their original intent and ensure equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race. This echoes modern efforts to reclaim national values in the context of issues like racial discrimination, civil rights, and equality under the law. The struggle for freedom and equality continues to be a touchstone for American political discourse, just as it was in Lincoln’s time.
