What was the government's biggest challenge during your leadership?
Answer: The biggest challenge was the entire internal crisis caused by the war of secession, not only at that time, but the moments before and after the war were as challenging as the war itself. That's because in addition to having to deal with all the political and economic instability that the country went through, they still had to deal with the emotional side in having to fight our own brothers.
Do you think war was necessary?
Answer: No. War is never necessary, we know all the destruction and misery it can cause. Ideally, governments should resolve their problems with diplomacy and political intelligence.
The victory of the union was due to what?
Answer: The union did not win. We all lost. We lost friends, brothers, fathers, mothers, spouses, just as the southern states did.
What do you think should be done to avoid war, then?
Answer: I believe that we should have fulfilled the concept of freedom for our citizens since the beginning of the republic. We cannot say that we are a free nation if we keep a part of the population captive. Furthermore, we should have lessened our arrogance towards our equals.
You came from a very humble family, how do you explain your successful life?
Answer: My successful life came from a lot of study and a lot of effort. For this reason, education is something so important in my government, as it is the only way for people in disadvantaged social classes to achieve a better and even more successful life than mine.
