7. Following the Clvil War why could Lincoln more legitimately claim that the U.S. represented "the idea of human liberty"?

Following the Civil War, Lincoln could more legitimately claim that the U.S. represented "the idea of human liberty" because the abolition of slavery had finally aligned the nation's reality with its founding ideals. While the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that all men are created equal, the existence of slavery had always been a glaring contradiction. The war's outcome and the subsequent 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, removed this fundamental hypocrisy. By eliminating slavery, the United States moved closer to truly embodying the principles of freedom and equality upon which it was founded, thus strengthening Lincoln's claim.