President Abraham Lincoln

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

President Abraham Lincoln opposed southern secession and believed in preserving the Union. He famously declared in his inaugural address, "In contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution, the Union of these states is perpetual." Therefore, he cannot support the doctrine of states' rights or nullification, which would allow states to ignore federal laws and potentially split from the Union. While Lincoln did believe in federalism, he emphasized that the federal government had power over the states whenever there was a conflict.