In the historic November 10, 1864 re-election speech at the
White House, Lincoln spoke of whether or not a country could be
“strong enough to maintain its existence in great emergencies.”
He spoke eloquently of the power of democracy, even during times
of strife. “We can not have free government without election,”
he wrote, noting that “a people’s government can sustain a
national election in the midst of a great Civil War.” Lincoln,
who had pushed for the abolition of slavery, spent his
presidency trying to unite a divided nation. In his call to his
countrymen he said, “May I ask those who have not differences
with me to join with me in this same spirit toward those who
have” and to “re-unite in a common effort to save our country.”
Perhaps these very words have been read by and reflected upon by
President-elect Obama, who, facing the challenges of a war in
Iraq and a nation suffering from a colossal economic crisis, has
also called for unity among Americans. Like Lincoln, who
believed so strongly in the pow