Did lincoln say a house divided cannot stand?

On June 16, 1858, at Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, leader of the new Republican Party, delivered one of the most important speeches in American history. In this "House Divided" speech, Lincoln warned his fellow citizens that the nation was in danger of being torn apart by the issue of slavery. "A house divided against itself cannot stand," Lincoln said. "I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other." Lincoln's words proved to be prophetic. Just four years after he gave this speech, the United States was plunged into a Civil War that would last for four bloody years. In the end, the Union was preserved, but at the cost of over 600,000 lives. Lincoln's "House Divided" speech is significant not only because it accurately predicted the coming of the Civil War, but also because it concisely stated the central issue of the conflict: the question of slavery. For Lincoln, the Civil War was a struggle to save the Union, but it was also a struggle to ensure that the United States would remain a nation dedicated to the principles of liberty and equality. In the years since the Civil War, Lincoln's words have been invoked by Americans of all political stripes. Whether they are fighting for racial equality, women's rights, or any other cause, Lincoln's words remind us that a house divided against itself cannot stand.