“ I know the American People are much attached to their Government;–I know they would suffer much for its sake;–I know they would endure evils long and patiently, before they would ever think of exchanging it for another.
But Lincoln went on to warn that if this love of Government, the rule of law, and the Constitution, were set aside “by no better tenure than the caprice of a mob” it would result in terrible consequences
In demonstrating the strength of its democratic institutions, its implacable commitment to Lincoln’s values, and its refusal to be intimidated by mobs, the United States will demonstrate its strength not weakness- and its gloating opponents in the world’s dictatorships should take careful note.
