In 1865, when the Civil War finally drew to a close and the Union won, the nation expected President Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the Union’s victory and ridicule the defeated South. Surprisingly, Lincoln did the opposite.
In his Second Inaugural Address, he refused to elevate one side over the other and rejected hatred. He reminded the nation that, “We do not assume that we are better than the people of the South,” and ended with his famous words, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us bind up the nation’s wounds and do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace.” Lincoln did not fuel division nor promote hate. He chose unity and demonstrated a leadership of empathy.
Division has long been part of our nation’s story. The same division that tore our country apart during the Civil War still exists today, only now between Republicans and Democrats, each side convinced of their own righteousness. Unlike Lincoln, who promoted unity, social media platforms and news are the main forces fueling the divide. While traditional journalism once aimed to inform the public, today’s media often seek to influence, becoming a form of political propaganda, shaping how Americans view the truth and each other.
In the 1900s, news outlets like The New York Times, CBS, and the Washington Post had a reputation for fact-based reporting. Journalists presented multiple perspectives and verified every detail before publication, aiming to inform, not to persuade. However, with the rise of cable television, the internet, and social media, journalism has changed, often including political bias. For example, networks such as Fox News or CNN often cover the same events with completely different political narratives.
During the recent federal government shutdown, Fox News coverage largely blamed Democrats for the shutdown, while CNN emphasized Republicans’ unwillingness to compromise. Both networks picked certain facts and quotes to fit their political leanings, reinforcing their audience’s beliefs, allowing viewers to treat the news not as something to be informed by, but something that validates their beliefs even further. When people only rely on sources that align with their beliefs, they get stuck in one opinion and viewpoint, deepening misunderstanding and hostility towards the opposing party. The moment someone hears an opinion that challenges their belief, they are often quick to reject it.
Social media has also become a political tool through the fast ways of spreading information and promoting political parties. No one does this better than President Donald Trump. Throughout his presidency, Trump used Twitter and his own platform, Truth Social, to rally supporters and attack opponents through the use of capital letters, insults, and hateful language.
During the 2020 election, his posts grew increasingly aggressive. On January 5th, 2021, the day before the attack on the Capitol, he tweeted:
“Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore!…MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Messages like these show how a single post can cause tension in millions. To his supporters, Trump seems like a hero, fighting against corruption and can do nothing wrong. Critics view him as a dangerous manipulator spreading lies. Regardless of where one stands, it’s clear that Trump’s use of social media marks a new era where politicians don’t have to rely on journalists to reach the public. Instead, they can speak to millions of people in just seconds. During Kamala’s campaign, she reached millions of young voters through her Tiktok account, Kamala HQ. However, this direct communication, if not used correctly, can allow misinformation to spread rapidly, without accountability.
Lincoln and Trump both led America through deeply divided times, but their approaches to leadership could not be more different.
Lincoln sought to heal the nation’s wounds. Trump has often deepened them. Lincoln believed that Americans are not enemies, but friends, using his words to unite. In contrast, Trump has often used words to separate, mock, blame, and hate, calling immigrants “animals,” and democrats the party of “Satan.”
American society is forced to face the consequences of media-fueled division. Political disagreement now often translates into hostility. As misinformation spreads unchecked, people no longer trust election results, journalism, and democracy.
A Pew Research Study found that Americans today are more divided than in the last 50 years, and many view members of the opposite party as “a threat to the nation.” When every news story is an attack and every headline is meant to provoke, empathy and open-mindedness disappear. Instead of trying to understand different perspectives, people dismiss them.
Abraham Lincoln envisioned an America united together through the shared ideals of liberty, equality, and justice. Today, that vision is lost.
Modern news and social media have become tools that increasingly divide our country and encourage us to hate our neighbors. If we ever hope to achieve Lincoln’s dream of unity, Americans must learn to question what they read, hear from multiple perspectives, and not view fellow Americans as enemies. As Lincoln warned, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We must begin rebuilding our country instead of tearing it down through posts, broadcasts, and false headlines.
