On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided Speech” to the Republicans who had nominated him as their candidate for Senate. The listeners immediately recognized his theme sentence “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” which comes from the first three Gospels of the New Testament. Lincoln then expressed his belief that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Lincoln’s words turned out to be prophetic. Less than three years later, the United States, a country torn asunder, descended into a bloody four-year-long civil war, the bloodiest in our nation’s history. Historians still debate the causes of this war, but few would deny that the intense rhetoric and sometimes violent actions from both the North and the South fueled and escalated this dreadful conflict.
Today, our nation faces a serious divide, not over slavery or regionalism, but over ideology. On July 13, former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, a stark evidence of the poisonous division.
The bullets fired at the gathering on Saturday evening resulted in the deaths of two people, including the gunman, and left two others critically wounded. This attack inflicted yet another wound on our nation, already bleeding from hatred and discord.
A photo from the shooting circulated showing Trump wounded, arm raised, fist clenched, surrounded by four Secret Service agents with an American flag fluttering above them, momentarily drawing our attention to this symbol.
The Pledge of Allegiance used to be a traditional part of our classrooms, containing the pledge to “allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
“One Nation, indivisible.” These words serve as a reminder – America is one nation, one country.
The gunshots of July 13 should serve as a wake-up call to all decent Americans; we are nearing the edge of a dark abyss, and if we continue on the current path, our way of life will be consumed.
Time is of the essence for all of us, whether left-wing, right-wing, or centrist, to remind ourselves that we are Americans first, true patriots loyal to one flag and the Republic it represents. This is a great flag, under which there is ample room to encompass all races, all classes, and all ideas that can make our country better. Those who harbor hatred towards fellow Americans, those whose despicable ideologies drive them, rather than love for their country, have no place under the stars and stripes – they never did, and they never will.
For the rest of us, now is the time to listen, to understand, and to reconcile with each other. We have been in this divided state for too long, and healing will also take time. Political leaders should set aside partisan issues and ask themselves, “What best serves the interests of the American people?” Ordinary citizens can also do the same, using common sense and love for the country, not dogma, to address the issues facing our nation.
Better yet, we can view those we disagree with on certain issues as fellow Americans, not as adversaries. While we may believe their views and positions are wrong, or even misled, we must seek to change their minds through persuasion. The failed assassination attempt against former President Trump should serve as a starting point for friendly engagement.
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln said, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” The mystic chords of memory from every battlefield, every patriot’s grave, extending to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
After this latest conflict among Americans, let us invoke the better angels in our nature and begin the work of restoring the health and unity of our nation.