text: On the day Lincoln was assassinated, he reportedly told his wife he desired to visit the Holy Land.Health Lincoln is believed to have had depression, smallpox, and malaria.He took blue mass pills, which contained mercury, to treat constipation.It is unknown to what extent this may have resulted in mercury poisoning.Several claims have been made that Lincoln's health was declining before the assassination.These are often based on photographs of Lincoln appearing to show weight loss and muscle wasting.It is also suspected that he might have had a rare genetic disease such as Marfan syndrome or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B.Legacy Republican values Lincoln's redefinition of republican values has been stressed by historians such as John Patrick Diggins, Harry V.Jaffa, Vernon Burton, Eric Foner, and Herman J.Belz.Lincoln called the Declaration of Independence—which emphasized freedom and equality for all—the "sheet anchor" of republicanism beginning in the 1850s.He did this at a time when the Constitution, which "tolerated slavery", was the focus of most political discourse.Diggins notes, "Lincoln presented Americans a theory of history that offers a profound contribution to the theory and destiny of republicanism itself" in the 1860 Cooper Union speech.Instead of focusing on the legality of an argument, he focused on the moral basis of republicanism.His position on war was founded on a legal argument regarding the Constitution as essentially a contract among the states, and all parties must agree to pull out of the contract.Furthermore, it was a national duty to ensure the republic stands in every state.Many soldiers and religious leaders from the north, though, felt the fight for liberty and freedom of slaves was ordained by their moral and religious beliefs.