Historians say that by writing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln established a moral purpose for the war.

VOA: special.2009.02.09

People felt that a year had been wasted, that thousands had died for no real purpose.

VOA: special.2009.09.24

Forty years earlier, a group of leading Americans had formed an organization for that purpose.

VOA: special.2009.04.16

In Rome,where some in line were greeted with espressos and juggling clowns, a man who identified himself as Vincenzo, said he was looking for an all-purpose computer.

VOA: standard.2010.05.28

"The bill subjects our security assistance to a certification that the Pakistani government is using the money for its intended purpose, namely to combat the Taliban and al-Qaida,"

VOA: standard.2009.05.04

In 2008,the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defense, striking down a Washington,D.C.law that banned the possession of handguns in the home.

VOA: standard.2010.06.29

Clinton said a North Korean missile launch, for any purpose, would be a provocative act and a violation of U.N.Security Council resolution 1718 - approved after its 2006 nuclear test- demanding an end to Pyonyang's nuclear weapon and missile programs.

VOA: standard.2009.03.25