Lincoln's Address
Plainly the central idea of secession is the
essence of anarchy. A majority held in
restraint by constitutional checks and
limitations ... is the only true sovereign of a
free people. ... The rule of a minority, as a
permanent arrangement, is wholly
inadmissible.
- Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861
What does Lincoln mean by saying "the rule of a
minority... is inadmissible"?
The enslaved persons in the South did not
have the right to vote.
As a minority, the South had the right to write
its own constitution.
Democracy does not work if people do not
respect the results of an election
DONE