Abraham Lincoln Responds to Trump’s War on Iran
By Alan Singer
In February 1848, Congressman Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to his law partner William H. Herndon explaining his position on Constitutional limitations on the ability of an American President to unilaterally send American forces into war. In an eight-minute video address to the American people released after the attack on Iran had already begun, Trump admitted that he had personally declared war on Iran without seeking Congressional authorization. Trump explained “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.” New York Times op-ed commentator David French referenced the Lincoln letter in a column on March 1.
Lincoln’s letter was written in response to the United States invasion of Mexico in 1846. He wrote:
“Let me first state what I understand to be your position– It is, that if it shall become necessary, to repel invasion, the President may, without violation of the constitution, cross the line, and invade the territory of another country; and that whether such necessity exists in any given case, the President is to be the sole judge. … Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so, whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose– and you allow him to make war at pleasure– Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose– If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, “I see no probability of the British invading us” but he will say to you “be silent; I see it, if you don’t”.”
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Source: Daily Kos
Alan Singer is a historian and teacher educator at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York. His most recent books are Social Studies for Secondary Schools, 5th edition (Routledge, 2024) and Class-Conscious Coal Miners (SUNY Press, 2024). Blogs, tweets, essays, interviews, and e-blasts present his views and not those of Hofstra University.