The nations troubles are the result of Democrats and their progressive bullsh!t and socialism.
The Democrats throughout history have caused far more trouble to the nation, but of all the Republicans who have caused serious damage to the Nation, Lincoln must be at the top of the list. It may be that of the two choices available to him at the time, He chose the one that was overall better for the nation, but we should not dismiss the damage he did to Federalism as a result of his actions.
He did establish a defacto dictatorship, and as a result, allowed Wilson to do the same thing about 60 years later. (Woodrow Wilson locked up about 36,000 political prisoners who protested our involvement in World War I.)
When asked about his suspension of constitutional rights, he said:
By general law life and limb must be protected; yet often a limb must be amputated to save a life; but a life is never wisely given to save a limb. I felt that measures, otherwise unconstitutional, might become lawful, by becoming indispensable to the preservation of the constitution, through the preservation of the nation.
Now if Obama comes along and decides that he needs to round up citizens and send them to internment camps (or Prison, as Lincoln did.) we will have Lincoln (plus Wilson and Roosevelt after him) to thank for establishing the precedent that this is an acceptable practice in the United States.