What does he have to say about the project of American democracy?

This week, we looked at one of the most troubled times in American history—a moment where it was not even clear America as an idea or nation would even continue. In that regard, though we traveled far and wide in our thinking, it is hard to get around the centrality of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership in this era, and for that reason he looms large.

To that end, make a claim about an important or otherwise dramatic contribution in Lincoln’s thought: what does he have to say about the project of American democracy? Do this by selecting one of the Lincoln documents we have for this week and draw connections between it and at least one other text.