Was Lincoln’s statement in the following quote necessarily predictive of how the crisis over slavery had to turn out?
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other." -Abraham Lincoln
Support, refute, or modify the contention through an examination of: the significance of the struggle over slavery for the American constitutional tradition.
What does that even mean? The American constitutional tradition?
Remember that one of the issues that brought about the American Revolution was taxation without representation and all the things that King George III did or didn't do, as he wished. The colonists who fought for independence from England wanted to be governed by their own laws, written by their own democratically elected representatives ... not a king across an ocean who ruled as his whims went.
It took two tries (Articles of Confederation and the Constitution) before the people in the new country (through their elected representatives) had the beginning of the set of laws (Constitution) they could live with. Amendments have been added, but they are still part of the Constitution. Overall, Americans expect to have a government based on laws, not on the whims of men.
Lincoln expected that whole system would be restored when all the states were back together in the Union, living under the Constitution.
The American constitutional tradition refers to the principles, values, and practices embedded within the United States Constitution and the interpretation of it by the courts and the government over time. It encompasses the fundamental rights and freedoms, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the framework for governing the country.
In the context of the quote by Abraham Lincoln, the significance of the struggle over slavery for the American constitutional tradition can be understood by examining how the issue of slavery impacted the formation and development of the United States.
During Lincoln's time, the question of slavery had become a divisive issue between the Northern states, where slavery was largely abolished, and the Southern states, where slavery was prevalent and seen as essential to their economy and way of life. The issue led to tensions between the two regions that threatened to tear the country apart.
Lincoln's statement, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," suggests that a nation divided over the issue of slavery cannot endure. He believed that the United States could not continue to exist half-slave and half-free. He did not predict the dissolution of the Union or the collapse of the country, but he foresaw that the issue of slavery would eventually be resolved and that the nation would become "all one thing or all the other."
To determine if Lincoln's statement was necessarily predictive, one must examine the subsequent events and how the struggle over slavery played out in the American constitutional tradition. The quote captures Lincoln's conviction that the issue of slavery had to be resolved and that the nation could not continue to exist in a state of division.
Ultimately, the struggle over slavery did have a significant impact on the American constitutional tradition. The issue culminated in the American Civil War, where the Union fought against the secessionist Confederate states that sought to preserve slavery. The war resulted in the abolition of slavery with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865.
The resolution of the slavery issue not only ended the institution of slavery but also transformed the interpretation and application of the Constitution. It reaffirmed the principles of equality and liberty enshrined in the Constitution and led to subsequent amendments and legal developments that further expanded civil rights and protections.
In conclusion, while Lincoln's statement was not necessarily a predictive claim regarding the specific outcome of the crisis over slavery, it accurately conveyed the significance of the struggle over slavery for the American constitutional tradition. The resolution of the issue through the abolition of slavery had a profound impact on the interpretation and development of the United States Constitution and shaped the course of American history.