Essay Sample about Abraham Lincoln and The Perpetual Union

Abraham Lincoln sought after a perpetual union in America to symbolize a country that would last forever. Secession is not a terrible thing, but you must be able to completely care for yourself and your people in order to separate. Responsibility must always come first when making decisions that can alter livelihoods. Although an everlasting union will benefit certain nations in the beginning, it will lead to harsher consequences. We can not control the actions of small parts of the country, that is why it is such a great risk to proclaim a forever union.

The meanings of both secession and union contrast as well. To secede is to leave or go away from a location that does not have what you want or need, but to unite implies being together forever. These sections and parts of our union are so distinct, that grouping them together on the basis of good and evil is extremely difficult. While secession can be bad, so is perpetual union, because both need a degree of responsibility and preparation that not every nation has. The privilege of a forever nation means that every action is positive for the wanting of a utopia. Yet there is so much disagreement between states and people. The constitution itself never predicted nor mentioned secession. Lincoln’s claim saying that secession is unconstitutional is primarily incorrect. However, the South’s reason for secession is also wrong. The hypocritical stance of the South is also prevalent during the Hartford Convention when they said that conflict would emerge if the North tried to secede. 

Lincoln actively demonstrated his disregard for the lives of African-American slaves through his words and actions. In a letter to Horace Greenly he stated that if he could save the Union by retaining slavery, he would. This evidence alone shows how Lincoln’s main concerns were targeted toward the “survival of the country”. Lincoln’s claim that secession is unconstitutional has no substantial evidence. In fact, it is more prevalent that secession is a right that must be done peacefully in order to gain complete control over one’s beliefs. The right to secede is important and should never be taken away, if we do, we only promote harm and false promises.