History of North America

What does we are engaged in a great civil war mean?

"We are engaged in great civil war" is an opening line of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, delivered less than a month before his assassination.

In the address, Lincoln reflects on the causes and consequences of the Civil War, and calls for unity and reconciliation among the American people.

In this context, "engaged in a great civil war" means that the United States is currently embroiled in a divisive and destructive internal conflict, with significant consequences for the nation's future.