In calling for the separation of church and state, voltaire supported

He believed that the church as an institution of power was exploiting people while religion should be a personal, secular thing. He believed that if we separated the powers, people could follow whatever beliefs they wanted, but would all be equal and equally political when it came to secular state governing.

lincoln presided over the union victory in the american civil war, which dominated his presidency. a former whig, lincoln ran on a political platform opposed to the expansion of slavery in the territories. his election served as the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the american civil war.