Lincoln At Gettysburg

I do not think it was right for Lincoln to use the Declaration of Independence to back up his position that the Confederacy was not allowed to break away from the U.S. Government to form their own state. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen states says, "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another", this refers to the separation of the United States from Great Britain in 1776. So, the southern states should be entitled to secede if they deem it necessary. The Declaration also states that decent respect for the opinions of mankind require declaration of the causes of the separation. Now, I do not know if there are any other factors other than the slavery issues or any other circumstances that would cause the Confederacy to succeed, but I do think if it is the only factor, that it is rather foolish.

On the other hand, I do agree with Lincoln to go to the Declaration to back up his position on slavery. The document says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." By owning slaves, the slave owners were depriving blacks of these rights. As for the decision that war was necessary to keep the south from succeeding, I agree with Lincoln. If he felt so strongly about freeing those slaves, and war was the only option, then it was the right choice. Of course, he could have given in to the south, and people still may have owned slaves to this day.

On the other hand, both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide support for the Confederacy's claims. The Declaration of Independence supports the notion of breaking apart from political bands to form a new state. It also says, "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive