Karen Gomez
Mrs. Noceti
AP English Language & Composition, Per. 1
September 15, 2014

Man’s Worst Enemy
Abraham Lincoln describes the tragic truth of human nature in his quote, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves”. This indeed is true. The truth is that man’s worst enemy is themselves. This can be applied to the country as well as human nature. The United States is possible of destroying itself and losing its freedom before another country can penetrate it. This can be seen in many occasions throughout history. One main example can be seen throughout the American Civil War. It is even occurring today throughout humankind. One example of this can be seen through global warming on Earth.
The American Civil War was a war that did not involve any other countries but itself. During the Civil War the United States broke off into two sections, both with different beliefs. They had opposing views on slavery, leading the country to essentially obliterate itself. The South became the
Confederate states and the North stayed a part of the United States. Citizens fought their own brothers and neighbors. This is exactly what Lincoln describes in his quote. The Unites States of
America destroyed itself before any other country did. Besides Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the
United States has not witnessed another country harm their land because of war. Neither World War I nor War World II caused