Lincoln's letter to Alexander Stephens on the Secession Crisis
- Mark Shubert
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
To Alexander H. Stephens For your own eye only.
Springfield, Ills. Dec. 22, 1860
Hon. A. H. Stephens-- My dear Sir
Your obliging answer to my short note is just received, and for which please accept my thanks. I fully appreciate the present peril the country is in, and the weight of responsibility on me.
Do the people of the South really entertain fears that a Republican administration would, directly or indirectly, interfere with their slaves, or with them, about their slaves? If they do, I wish to assure you, as once a friend, and still, I hope, not an enemy, that there is no cause for such fears.
The South would be in no more danger in this respect than it was in the days of Washington. I suppose, however, this does not meet the case. You think slavery is right and should be extended; while we think slavery is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us. Yours very truly
A. Lincoln
Source: Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 4, pp. 160--161.
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