Abraham Lincoln and the House Divided

Hello there. My name is Abraham Lincoln, and a long time ago, I was the president of the United States. It was a very important job, but it was also very difficult because our country was going through a sad time. Imagine our country as one big family living in a large house. Well, our family was arguing. The states in the South wanted to leave our American house and start their own country. A big reason for this was that they wanted to keep the practice of slavery, where people were owned by others and forced to work without pay. We in the North believed that our country must stay together as one family and that all people deserved to be free. It broke my heart to see our country splitting apart. I often said that a 'house divided against itself cannot stand.' I meant that our American family couldn't survive if we were broken in two. We had to find a way to stay together, whole and strong.

Reading Comprehension Questions

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Answer: He was sad because the country was like a family that was fighting and splitting apart over slavery.

Answer: He signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a promise that enslaved people would be free.

Answer: The story says he worked day and night and stayed up late in the White House, feeling the weight of the country on his shoulders.

Answer: The Union soldiers for the North wore blue uniforms, and the Confederate soldiers for the South wore gray uniforms.