Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message.

. . . the unbounding determination of our people . . .

. . . the American people in their righteous might . . .

Since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

In this excerpt, Lincoln constantly refers to the South as "the rebellion." This serves several purposes. One of the most important ones is that by referring to the South as "the rebellion," Lincoln establishes that the North States are the ones adhering to the "Union" and therefore, the United States, while it is the Confederacy which wants to leave. Moreover, it addresses the fact that most of the slaves are located in the South, but are not considered "rebels" anymore. This shows that the real "enemies" of the Union are not Southerners, but white plantation owners who refuse to outlaw slavery.