Lincoln mentions the Declaration of Independence but discusses none of its specific passages. This is most likely because

a) he is not sure whether the references to “inalienable rights” imply that slavery is wrong

b) he thinks the Declaration has been superseded by the Constitution as the governing principle of the Union

c) he does not believe that a people has the right to rebel against a government

d) he does not believe that the colonists were right to secede from Great Britain