Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question that follows:
The States have their status in the Union, and they have no other legal status.... The Union, and not themselves separately, procured their independence and their liberty.
-President Abraham Lincoln, message to Congress, July 4, 1861
Which constitutional issue was President Lincoln addressing in this excerpt?
(1 point)
O The right of citizens to choose representatives.
O The power of states to organize militias
O The unalienable rights of citizens
O The legal ability of states to secede

Answer 1

In the excerpt, President Lincoln is emphasizing that the states do not have a separate legal status outside of their membership in the Union and that their independence is tied to the Union itself. This addresses the issue of whether states have the legal ability to secede from the Union. Therefore, the correct answer is:

O The legal ability of states to secede.