Both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln recognized that "forever" means perpetuity, but they disagreed with the details of what individual should remain forever. In terms of the permanent life of the Confederacy, Davis spoke of perpetuity. "Lincoln insisted that perpetuity, as he advocated for the eternal life of the Union, was" implied, if not expressed, in the basic law of all national governments.
Both Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln understood perpetuity to mean “forever,” but they disagreed over the specifics of what entity was to remain forever. Davis spoke of perpetuity in terms of permanent existence of the Confederacy. Lincoln insisted that perpetuity was “implied, if not expressed, in the fundamental law of all national governments” as he argued for the permanent existence of the Union.
