...trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would be ultimately revived without restriction, in one section; while fugitive slaves, now only partially surrendered, would not be surrendered at all, by the other. between them. A husband and wife may be divorced, and go out of the presence, and beyond the reach...

...outgrowth of a permanent geographical condition, ensures the states' survival as separate entities: Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot...beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amicable...

...dominance. In his inaugural address Lincoln had spoken eloquently of the futility of separation as a cure: Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot...beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amicable...

...reprinted in Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, v. 4, p. 252. Rutgers University Press (1953, 1990). Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot...beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amicable...

...balances" but rather offered a domestic image to illustrate the stakes in keeping the Union whole: "A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of...beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to face, and intercourse, either amicable...

...preface it with another explanation. He quoted from his inaugural address the moving passage that begins, "Physically speaking we cannot separate. We cannot...beyond the reach of each other, but the different parts of our country cannot do this." On to the end. When he first addressed that solemn warning to...

...trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would be ultimately revived without restriction in one section, while fugitive slaves, now only partially surrendered,...surrendered at all by the other. Physically speaking, we can not separate. We can not remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable...

...slave-trade, now imperfectly suppressed, would be ultimately revived without restriction, in one section; while fugitive slaves, now only partially surrendered, would not be surrendered at all, by the other." Lincoln, Collected Works, 4: 268-69 (1861). See Chap. 12 of this Collection. "One eighth of the whole...

...people imperfectly supports the law itself. . . . Physically speaking, we can not separate. We can not remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them. . . . This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall...

...aptitudes, it demands union, and abhors separation.32 His First Inaugural Address also sounds this note: Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot...beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this. They cannot but remain face to face; and intercourse, either amicable...