The Civil War and the Fragility of America

By Jeff Cooper

America has been here before. A nation on the brink, divided by ideology, torn apart by hate. The Civil War was the closest America ever came to complete collapse, and it only survived because of one man: Abraham Lincoln. He was not perfect, but he was a unifier, a strategist, and ultimately, a martyr for the nation’s survival.

But today, there is no Lincoln.

And yet, the forces that nearly tore America apart in the 1860s are alive again today. They are not just returning—they have been planning, waiting, and actively working toward a second collapse. Only this time, they are better organized, better funded, and more dangerous.

The Lincoln Memorial: A Message Left in Stone

When you visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., you see two inscriptions in stone:

  1. The Gettysburg Address
  2. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

These are not just speeches; they are warnings. And they are warnings we have failed to heed.

The Gettysburg Address: The Survival of Democracy

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Lincoln understood that democracy is not self-sustaining. It must be defended, rebuilt, and renewed with every generation. He fought to make sure the promise of democracy did not die with slavery.

But today, Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and authoritarianism are threatening to replace democracy with a government for the few, by the few, at the expense of the many.

Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation, and the radical right are planning to do exactly what Lincoln fought against:

  • Dismantle democracy through religious control
  • Strip rights from marginalized communities
  • Consolidate power into the hands of a select ruling class

This is the opposite of what Lincoln died for.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address: The Need for Truth and Healing

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds…”

Lincoln knew that after war, a nation must heal. But healing is not ignoring the past. Healing is facing the truth, confronting the sins of history, and making real changes.

America has never truly healed from its past.

  • It never addressed the root causes of white supremacy.
  • It never atoned for the betrayal of Reconstruction.
  • It never fully dismantled Jim Crow, even after civil rights laws.

Instead, it covered up the wounds and hoped they would be forgotten.

And now, those wounds are reopening, and those who seek power are using them as weapons to destroy democracy from within.

What Lincoln Knew That We Must Remember

America did not collapse during the Civil War because Lincoln held it together.

Today, America is facing its second great crisis. But this time:

  • There is no Lincoln.
  • There is no unifying force to hold the country together.
  • The enemies of democracy are not outsiders—they are inside the gates.

The Hard Truth: America Will Not Survive Another Civil War

If America descends into civil conflict again, there will be no Lincoln to bring it back. This time, the divisions are deeper, the disinformation is stronger, and the institutions Lincoln helped save are weaker than ever.

So the real question is: Will we stop it before it’s too late?

Lincoln’s Final Warning: Democracy Will Die if We Let It

America must make a choice:

  • Do we honor Lincoln’s vision? Do we fight for a government of the people, by the people, for the people?
  • Or do we let the forces of Christian nationalism and authoritarianism erase everything Lincoln fought for?

There Is No More Time for Silence

Lincoln once said:

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

The destruction is already underway.

But we still have a choice.

If we do not act, if we do not fight for truth, justice, and real democracy, then the Lincoln Memorial will no longer be a beacon of hope—it will be a tombstone for a failed nation.

This is the moment. Either we stop this now, or we lose everything Lincoln fought to save.